Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa squanders winning position in Sinquefield Cup, Firouzja leads after round 5

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa faced a heartbreaking loss in the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup, as he squandered a winning position against Wesley So of America. The World Championship challenger, D Gukesh, on the other hand, settled for a hard-fought draw in the prestigious tournament, which is the final leg of the Grand Chess Tour.

In a surprising turn of events, Alireza Firouzja of France emerged victorious against Anish Giri of Holland, while the remaining matches in the 10-player round-robin tournament ended in draws.

Firouzja’s win against Giri propelled him to the top of the leaderboard, with 3.5 points, half a point ahead of Wesley So. So managed to salvage a draw after defending fiercely in an endgame material down against Praggnanandhaa. The upcoming sixth round will see So facing Firouzja with the white pieces.

The tournament has been a rollercoaster for Praggnanandhaa, who has struggled to convert winning positions into victories. The Indian prodigy needs to work on the technical aspect of his game to avoid such disappointments in the future.

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

The results of the fifth round saw Praggnanandhaa drawing with Wesley So, Firouzja defeating Giri, Nepomniachtchi drawing with Ding Liren, Abdusattorov drawing with Gukesh, and Caruana drawing with Vachier-Lagrave.

The Sinquefield Cup continues to provide thrilling chess action, with players showcasing their skills and resilience in each round. Fans can expect more exciting matches as the tournament progresses.