Sinquefield Cup: Firouzja takes sole lead, So escapes against Pragg
A second missed opportunity for Pragg
Alireza Firouzja took the sole lead in the Sinquefield Cup after defeating Anish Giri with the white pieces in round 5. This was Firouzja’s second win in the event after defeating Fabiano Caruana on the opening day. There are 4 rounds left to play in the classic tournament in Saint Louis and Firouzja is the favorite to finish first in the annual Grand Chess Tour rankings – the Sinquefield Cup is the final event in the series.
In a crucial game for the table, Wesley So – currently in sole second place – drew his game with Black against R. Praggnanandhaa. Unfortunately for the Indian prodigy, he missed the chance to score a full point for the second day in a row, failing to find the right king move in a critical final position against D. Gukesh in round 4. Pragg is one of six players with a score of 2½/5 in the table.
All three remaining games ended in draws on Friday. Perhaps the most curious position was Ian Nepomniachtchi’s against Ding Liren, not because the setup was particularly tempting, but because Nepo reached exactly the same rook endgame (with opposite colors) that he had lost to So the day before.
Rook endgames (almost) always end in a draw.
Results of the 5th round
Navigating Ruy Lopez Volume 1-3
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings and is still very popular, from club level to the absolute world elite. In this video series, American super-GM Fabiano Caruana presents a complete repertoire for White in conversation with IM Oliver Reeh.
The participants of the 2023 World Championship fight | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Praggnanandhaa ½ – ½ Sun
Endgame analysis by GM Karsten Müller
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
