Grand Master R. Praggnanandhaa held to draw by Romanian opponent lower in rank
Praggnanandhaa employed the Nimzo-Indian Defense, but the Romanian player was unwavering, and the match mainly showcased his side’s aggressiveness
In the sixth round of the ongoing Superbet Classic tournament, which is a part of the World’s Grand Chess Tour, the young Indian Grand Master R. Praggnanandhaa was held to a draw by the lowest-ranked Romanian player, Deac Bogdan-Daniel. Similar to round 4, Praggnanandhaa employed the Nimzo-Indian Defense, but the Romanian player was unwavering, and the match mainly showcased his side’s aggressiveness. Bogdan-Daniel did not give an inch and equalized to Praggnanandhaa move for move; the game ended in a draw by making a repetition of a position after 38 movements.
Another Indian participant, D. Gukesh, also appeared to play safe against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, perhaps to avoid a slip-up ahead of the World Championship match. He was willing to split the point with the French Grandmaster and decided to save his best for his World Championship match against Ding Liren, scheduled for November in Singapore. On the other hand, Iranian-French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja challenged his fate against Wesley So of the United States of America and could make a remarkable performance. In his second win in the event, he moved closer to the leader of the competition, Fabio Caruana from America.
With only three rounds left in the USD 350,000 prize money tournament, Caruana comfortably holds the top spot. However, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Alireza are all in close pursuit, vying for the lead.
After round 6, the results were: R Praggnanandhaa (IND, 3.5)drew with Deac Bogdan-Daniel (ROM, 2); Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 3) drew with D Gukesh (IND, 3.5); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 4) drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID, 3); Alireza Firouzja (FRA, 3.5) defeated Wesley So (USA, 2).
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