Daijiworld Media Network – St Louis

St Louis, Aug 26: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa scored a fluent victory over Frenchman Alireza Firouzja to storm into the joint lead after the seventh round of the prestigious Sinquefield Cup, part of the Grand Chess Tour.

With this second win, coming after a series of draws, the 19-year-old Chennai prodigy joined Fabiano Caruana of the United States at the top of the table with 4.5 points. On the same day, world champion D Gukesh suffered a setback as he was outplayed by American star Wesley So.

With Praggnanandhaa and Caruana in front, Levon Aronian and Wesley So now share third place with four points each. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and American Samuel Sevian follow closely on 3.5 points. Gukesh and Firouzja are next on three points, while Nodirbek Abdusattorov languishes at the bottom with just 1.5 points.

After two uneventful rounds with no decisive results, round seven brought fireworks with three wins out of five games in this 10-player tournament, which carries a prize fund of USD 375,000.

Praggnanandhaa outclassed Firouzja, who misjudged his position early in the Rossolimo variation against the Sicilian. The Indian seized control of the centre, his pair of bishops dominating the board. Firouzja faltered in a lost endgame, and the contest ended in just 27 moves.

Meanwhile, Gukesh opted for the Berlin defence against Wesley So but was soon on the back foot. After losing a pawn in the middlegame, he came under pressure on the kingside. Wesley’s relentless attack forced Gukesh to give up his queen for two minor pieces, sealing his defeat.

Poland’s Duda also added to Abdusattorov’s woes, handing the Uzbek his fourth loss of the event.