Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa continued his run of drawn games at the Sinquefield Cup, part of the Grand Chess Tour, as he shared points with Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the sixth round. It marked his fifth consecutive draw of the tournament.
Caruana Maintains Narrow Lead
With the result, Praggnanandhaa moved to 3.5 points from six rounds, keeping him in joint second place. American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana remains at the top of the leaderboard with 4 points, half a point clear of the chasing pack. Levon Aronian (USA) shares second spot with Praggnanandhaa, while India’s world champion D Gukesh sits tied at fourth on 3 points along with Wesley So and Samuel Sevian (both USA), and the French duo of Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
A Round of Draws
It was another day without decisive games. Gukesh held Firouzja after surviving a challenging middlegame, while Caruana drew with Sevian in just 27 moves following pressure on his kingside. Other games between Aronian–So and Abdusattorov–Vachier-Lagrave also ended peacefully.
Praggnanandhaa vs Duda
Praggnanandhaa surprised Duda by employing the Alapin variation against the Sicilian Defense. He appeared to gain a small edge, but Duda responded with a bold rook sacrifice after the Indian castled queenside. Praggnanandhaa later returned material, and the game concluded in perpetual checks after 32 moves.
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