Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa settles for draw against D Gukesh in Superbet Classic Chess Tournament

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa Misses Out on Joint Leader Position at Superbet Classic Chess Tournament

In a thrilling third round at the Superbet Classic chess tournament, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa missed out on the opportunity to become a joint leader after settling for a draw against fellow Indian player D Gukesh. The Catalan opening saw Gukesh sacrificing a pawn early on, leading to a tense battle between the two players.

Despite having his share of counterplay on the Queen side, Praggnanandhaa could not find a winning continuation as Gukesh recovered the pawn with an optical advantage. The game eventually reached a Queen and rook endgame, which should have been an easy draw, but a blunder on Gukesh’s 53rd move led to a forced liquidation and a King and pawns endgame.

With all five games in the tournament ending in draws, the lead positions remained unchanged. Gukesh and Fabiano Caruana of the United States continued to top the tables with two points each. Praggnanandhaa, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alireza Firouzja, Wesley So, Anish Giri, and Ian Nepomniachtchi shared the third spot with 1.5 points apiece.

As the tournament progresses, the competition remains fierce with six rounds still remaining and a total prize money of USD 350,000 up for grabs. Stay tuned for more updates on the Superbet Classic chess tournament as the players battle it out for the top spot.