Drama Unfolds at Sinquefield Cup: Firouzja Takes the Lead

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa missed a winning chance against Wesley So, while D Gukesh had a tough draw in the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup. Alireza Firouzja became the sole leader by defeating Anish Giri, leading by 0.5 points over So. Firouzja will face So in the sixth round.

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa squandered a winning position against Wesley So of the United States, while D Gukesh settled for a hard-fought draw in the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup, which is the final leg of the Grand Chess Tour.

On a day when Alireza Firouzja from France earned a victory over Anish Giri of Holland, the other matches in the 10-player round-robin event ended in draws.

With his win over Giri, Firouzja became the sole leader heading into the rest day. Firouzja has accumulated 3.5 points, standing half a point ahead of Wesley So, who managed a draw after a fierce endgame against Praggnanandhaa. The upcoming sixth round will feature So playing with the white pieces against Firouzja.

It was an unfortunate day for Praggnanandhaa, who needs to improve his technical skills to convert winning positions. In the previous round, he had also let Gukesh off the hook in a winning endgame scenario.

Wesley So, with three points, is in second place, followed by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Ding Liren of China, Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, and Fabiano Caruana of the United States, all tied for third place with 2.5 points each. Nodirbek Abdusattorov is ninth with two points, just ahead of Giri, who sits at the bottom of the table.

Round 5 Results: R Praggnanandhaa (India, 2.5) drew with Wesley So (USA, 3); Alireza Firouzja (France, 3.5) defeated Anish Giri (Netherlands, 1.5); Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE) drew with Ding Liren (China, 2.5); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan, 2) drew with D Gukesh (India, 2.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2.5) drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France, 2.5).

(With inputs from agencies.)