Praggnanandhaa beats Vachier-Lagrave, moves into Sinquefield Cup lead
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France to move into a joint lead alongside American Wesley So after the eighth and penultimate round of the Sinquefield Cup here.
The victory took Praggnanandhaa to five points from eight games and assured the Indian Grandmaster of a place in the Grand finale scheduled for later this year.
Wesley played out another draw, this time against compatriot Sam Sevian, allowing Praggnanandhaa to catch him at the top of the standings.
Javokhir Sindarov moved within striking distance of the leaders after securing his third consecutive victory. The Uzbek defeated Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands to move to 4.5 points.
German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer also reached 4.5 points after defeating top seed Fabiano Caruana of the United States. In the other game, Dutchman Anish Giri drew with Levon Aronian of the United States.
Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa weathered Vachier-Lagrave's aggressive approach before turning the game in his favour.
The Frenchman opted for the Ruy Lopez and an early piece sacrifice, but Praggnanandhaa's response neutralised the threat. The Indian gave up three pawns in exchange for the piece but coordinated his pieces effectively and forced resignation in just 28 moves.
Keymer also produced a strong tactical display with the white pieces against Caruana. The German navigated a dynamic middlegame before picking off two pawns and eventually forcing resignation after 76 moves.
Sindarov continued his late surge with a technically accomplished victory over van Foreest. In a Petrosian variation of the Queen's Indian Defence, the Uzbek sacrificed a pawn early, won a rook for a minor piece and converted the advantage in a 56-move game.
The final round promises further drama.
Praggnanandhaa will have the white pieces against Giri, while Sindarov will face So in another key clash. Keymer will take on van Foreest and could join the leaders if he wins.
