Praggnanandhaa opens Sinquefield Cup campaign with comfortable draw against Sevian
St. Louis, Aug 11
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa began his Sinquefield Cup campaign with a comfortable draw against American counterpart Samuel Sevian in the opening round of the penultimate event of the Grand Chess Tour.
Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa gave little away as the Arkhangelsk Variation of the Ruy Lopez produced a relatively quiet encounter. The Indian's preparation appeared to be superior, while Sevian showed little inclination to complicate matters.
The players began exchanging pieces early, with a pair of rooks coming off the board as soon as the 11th move. Further exchanges led to a queen-and-minor-piece endgame in which both players had two knights each, leaving little scope for either side to create winning chances.
Once the queens were traded, the outcome became almost inevitable and the game eventually ended in a draw after 48 moves, although the players could have agreed to split the point earlier.
Top seed Fabiano Caruana was the only player to register a victory in the opening round of the 10-player, nine-round tournament. The American defeated Jorden Van Foreest of the Netherlands to take the early lead.
Caruana once again underlined why he has been the standout player on the Grand Chess Tour this season, outplaying Van Foreest from an initially equal position. A middlegame tactical oversight from the Dutchman cost him a pawn, allowing Caruana to seize the advantage.
The American then displayed his trademark technique to convert the extra material into a full point after 55 moves.
Elsewhere, world championship contender Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan drew with Armenian-turned-American Levon Aronian. Playing white, Sindarov opted for an irregular queen's pawn set-up and appeared to gain an opportunity when Aronian dropped a pawn.
However, the resulting opposite-coloured bishops' endgame offered no realistic winning chances, and the game was eventually drawn.
Vincent Keymer of Germany also had to settle for half a point against Wesley So of the United States. Keymer attempted to build an attack against So's king, but the American defended comfortably and neutralised the danger.
Anish Giri of the Netherlands completed the day's other draw against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France. Giri was unable to make significant progress and the game eventually reached a rook-and-pawns ending that was fought down to the wire before the players agreed to a draw.
The Sinquefield Cup is being played for a total prize fund of USD 4,75,000, with Praggnanandhaa looking to build momentum in the closing stages of the Grand Chess Tour. After his solid opening-round performance against Sevian, the Indian will now look to push for his first win of the tournament in the rounds ahead.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Caruana is in scary form this year. But honestly, Pragg's preparation seems to be on another level lately. The Arkhangelsk is a tough line to face with black, and he handled it with complete ease. Draw is fine for round one, but I hope he goes for the kill in the next games. Chess is all about small steps.
So proud of our Indian chess prodigy! It was a calm, professional game. Sometimes a draw against a tough opponent is as good as a win. The competition is tough, but Pragg has the temperament. Can't wait to see him climb this Grand Chess Tour leaderboard! 👏
One criticism: our players sometimes play a bit too safe in the first half of such tournaments. Pragg had a better position but the result was never in doubt. In a 9-round event, you need to convert those small advantages into full points sometimes. Still, a draw is a good start. We are with you, Pragg!
Caruana is just playing at an insane level right now. The way he squeezed Van Foreest was textbook. As for Praggnanandhaa, that's a solid opening result, especially with the black pieces. The Indian contingent is definitely one to watch in the coming rounds!
The fact that Pragg is competing with these heavyweights at just 18-19 years old is mind-blowing. His calm demeanor at the board reminds me of Vishy Anand. With 4,75,000 USD at stake, every half point counts. Safe draw today, but I'm expecting fireworks in the upcoming rounds! 🔥
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