New Delhi: Indian chess star R Praggnanandhaa suffered his first defeat at the Super Chess Classic after losing to American grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in a tense seventh round clash in Bucharest, Romania.
The defeat dealt a major blow to Praggnanandhaa’s hopes of finishing at the top of the tournament standings as the competition entered its final stages. The event is part of the prestigious Grand Chess Tour and features several of the world’s leading players.
Playing with white pieces, Praggnanandhaa opened with the Queen pawn system and faced the Ragozin variation in the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Needing a win to stay strongly in contention, the Indian grandmaster opted for an aggressive middle game approach that led to a highly tactical battle.
Caruana responded with precise calculations and gradually seized control of the position. The American launched a powerful attack on Praggnanandhaa’s king, forcing the Indian into a difficult defensive position before sealing victory in just 33 moves.
The loss left Praggnanandhaa on 3.5 points alongside Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Wesley So and Javokhir Sindarov.
Caruana moved into joint lead on 4.5 points along with Germany’s Vincent Keymer and Dutch grandmaster Jorden Van Foreest. Van Foreest benefitted from a walkover after Alireza Firouzja withdrew from the round.
Sindarov also emerged victorious after defeating Keymer in another important encounter. The Uzbek grandmaster capitalised on Keymer’s pawn sacrifice and converted his advantage comfortably in 40 moves.
With two rounds still remaining and a total prize pool of 375,000 US dollars, Praggnanandhaa still has an outside chance of securing a podium finish, though the battle for the title now appears to be between the leading group at the top of the standings.
