New Delhi: R Praggnanandhaa produced a determined endgame performance to defeat Javokhir Sindarov in the second round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, opening his account with a hard fought victory at the Grand Chess Tour event.
Praggnanandhaa gradually broke down Sindarov’s resistance in a queen pawn opening that eventually led to a long endgame. The Uzbek Grandmaster appeared to have secured a position good enough for a draw, with the evaluation remaining level for much of the game.
However, Praggnanandhaa continued to apply pressure and refused to let the opportunity slip. His persistence eventually forced the position to change in his favour, turning what had looked like a drawn ending into a winning one.
The game went on for 95 moves before Sindarov resigned, giving Praggnanandhaa his first victory of the tournament. The Indian now has 1.5 points from two rounds.
Sindarov is set to face India’s world champion D Gukesh later this year in the World Championship, adding further interest to their meeting in St Louis.
Praggnanandhaa is part of a five way tie at the top with 1.5 points. American players Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian and Wesley So, along with France’s Maxime Vachier Lagrave, are also on the same score.
Caruana drew his second round game against Anish Giri of the Netherlands. The result came after a closely contested battle in which Giri’s renowned opening preparation was met by solid defensive play from Caruana.
The second round produced four decisive games after only one decisive result in the opening round. Aronian defeated Germany’s Vincent Keymer, while So beat Jorden Van Foreest. Vachier Lagrave also secured a win against American Samuel Sevian.
With seven rounds still remaining in the USD 475,000 tournament, the tightly packed leaderboard promises a fierce battle for the title.
