NEW DELHI: The Superbet Classic tournament has witnessed a thrilling battle among some of the finest grandmasters. The eighth and penultimate round saw Indian prodigies R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh showcasing their skills against formidable opponents.
Praggnanandhaa played out a hard-fought draw against United States' formidable prodigy Fabiano Caruana. Despite Caruana's initial advantage with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa's strategic advancement enabled him to equalize the position, ultimately leading to a drawn rook and minor piece endgame after 31 moves.
Gukesh, who will play against Ding Liren for the FIDE World Championship 2024, also split points with the experienced Dutchman Anish Giri. Gukesh sacrificed a pawn in the middle game to gain an initiative, but Giri opted for a repetition of the position, resulting in a draw after 30 moves.
The day's proceedings did not produce a single decisive game, with draws occurring on all five boards. This outcome allowed Caruana to maintain his slender half-point lead going into the final round of the 10-player round-robin tournament, which is part of the prestigious Grand Chess Tour.
With 5 points from eight games, Caruana continues to lead the pack, closely followed by Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, and Alireza Firouzja of France, who are all trailing by half a point.
Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France share the fifth spot with 4 points each, while Wesley So of the United States, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan, and Giri are tied at 3.5 points each. Deac Bogdan-Daniel of Romania remains at the bottom of the standings with 3 points in the $350,000 prize money tournament.
Results at the end of round 8:
Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 4.5) drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID, 4); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5) drew with R Praggnaanandhaa (IND. 4.5); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB, 3.5) drew with Deac Bogdan-Daniel (ROU, 3); D Gukesh (IND, 4.5) drew with Anish Giri (NED, 3.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 4) drew with Wesley So (USA, 3.5).
Praggnanandhaa played out a hard-fought draw against United States' formidable prodigy Fabiano Caruana. Despite Caruana's initial advantage with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa's strategic advancement enabled him to equalize the position, ultimately leading to a drawn rook and minor piece endgame after 31 moves.
Gukesh, who will play against Ding Liren for the FIDE World Championship 2024, also split points with the experienced Dutchman Anish Giri. Gukesh sacrificed a pawn in the middle game to gain an initiative, but Giri opted for a repetition of the position, resulting in a draw after 30 moves.
With all draws in the 8th round, Fabiano Caruana keeps leading in the #SuperbetChessClassicRomania half a point above the nearest rivals. Will anyone manage to catch him in the last round? #Grandchesstour pic.twitter.com/V3VevjE6dj
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) July 4, 2024
The day's proceedings did not produce a single decisive game, with draws occurring on all five boards. This outcome allowed Caruana to maintain his slender half-point lead going into the final round of the 10-player round-robin tournament, which is part of the prestigious Grand Chess Tour.
With 5 points from eight games, Caruana continues to lead the pack, closely followed by Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, and Alireza Firouzja of France, who are all trailing by half a point.
Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France share the fifth spot with 4 points each, while Wesley So of the United States, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan, and Giri are tied at 3.5 points each. Deac Bogdan-Daniel of Romania remains at the bottom of the standings with 3 points in the $350,000 prize money tournament.
Results at the end of round 8:
Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 4.5) drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID, 4); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5) drew with R Praggnaanandhaa (IND. 4.5); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (UZB, 3.5) drew with Deac Bogdan-Daniel (ROU, 3); D Gukesh (IND, 4.5) drew with Anish Giri (NED, 3.5); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 4) drew with Wesley So (USA, 3.5).
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