Sinquefield Cup Chess: Gukesh survives by a thread against Praggnanandhaa in a thriller; round three results

Saint Louis (USA), Aug 22: In a gripping third round of the Sinquefield Cup, the final leg of the Grand Chess Tour, World Championship challenger D Gukesh narrowly escaped defeat against compatriot R Praggnanandhaa.

The highly anticipated clash between the two Indian prodigies ended in a draw, but only after Gukesh survived a lost endgame by the narrowest of margins.

Sinquefield Cup Chess Gukesh survives against Praggnanandhaa in a thriller round three results

The match, which saw Gukesh on the back foot for a significant portion, highlighted the intense rivalry and high stakes as both players vied for dominance. Gukesh, playing with the black pieces, began strong out of a Catalan opening set by Praggnanandhaa.

Displaying remarkable speed and precision, Gukesh blitzed through the first 18 moves in just four minutes, leaving Praggnanandhaa nearly an hour behind on the clock.

However, as the game progressed into a rook and pawns endgame, Gukesh made an optical error, inadvertently placing himself in a losing position. To his relief, Praggnanandhaa, despite his superior position, was unable to find the winning move, allowing Gukesh to escape with a draw. The result prolongs Praggnanandhaa's quest for a victory over Gukesh in a Classical game, a feat he hasn't achieved since 2022.

The day was full of dramatic turns, not just for the Indian duo but across the board. Tour leader Alireza Firouzja of France managed to salvage a draw against his compatriot Maxime Vachier-Lagrave despite being in a clearly worse position, thanks to a timely repetition of moves.

Meanwhile, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan suffered a heartbreaking loss after a blunder allowed Fabiano Caruana to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Caruana's win marks his first in the tournament.

Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia also had a successful day, securing a relatively straightforward win against Dutchman Anish Giri. Giri, caught off guard by Nepomniachtchi's unconventional opening, was unable to recover and eventually conceded defeat. Reigning world champion Ding Liren of China had his chances against Wesley So of the USA, but squandered them, resulting in a draw.

With six more rounds to go in this prestigious 10-player double round-robin tournament, Firouzja and Nepomniachtchi share the lead with two points each out of a possible three. The tournament features a total prize pool of USD 350,000, in addition to the Grand Chess Tour bonus prize fund of USD 175,000.

Six players-Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Vachier-Lagrave, Caruana, Wesley So, and Ding Liren-are currently tied for third place with 1.5 points each, while Abdusattorov and Giri trail slightly behind with one point apiece.

As the tournament heats up, Gukesh will next face Firouzja in what promises to be another intense encounter, while Praggnanandhaa will take on Giri, hoping to finally break his winless streak against his fellow Indian prodigy.