GM Rafael Leitao shares his analysis of our game of the day below.

Firouzja 1-0 Ding

Firouzja put Ding in a tense and complex position. The World Champion defended well for much of the middlegame, but spent a lot of time studying the complexity of the position. In contrast, Firouzja played at a fairly fast pace, running out his opponent’s time while keeping all the material on the board – and waiting for Ding’s time trouble to give him more opportunities. The GCT leader’s plan worked like a charm.

On move 29, Ding broke the long-lasting tension in the center due to a miscalculation under time pressure. When he tried to play a pawn breakthrough in the center, his queenside collapsed. Firouzja reflected:

I was very happy because he ran out of time… It was no surprise that he made a mistake. It’s a very difficult position on the board. It’s very passive.

It was no surprise that he made a mistake. It’s a very difficult position…

―Alireza Firouzja

Caruana 1/2-1/2 Gukesh

Caruana and GM Gukesh Dommaraju played an unorthodox Italian middlegame that led to an endgame with weak pawns on both sides. Caruana tried to build on his small advantage, but with doubly isolated pawns himself, it seemed difficult for him to achieve much.

But starting with the unpleasant-looking 23.Ra3, the American grandmaster’s pieces seem to slide onto harmonious squares and coordinate to exert maximum pressure on Black’s weak points.

Amidst the mutual time pressure, Caruana had a tactical opportunity. By missing it, Gukesh neutralized all further chances. GM Cristian Chirila noted:

We are beginning to understand that Gukesh is actually a very strong defender. Another difference we see between the world champion Ding and the challenger Gukesh is that Gukesh is very comfortable playing very long games. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Ding.

We begin to understand that Gukesh is actually a very strong defender.

―Cristian Chirila

Praggnanandhaa 1/2-1/2 Nepomniachtchi

GM Ian Nepomniachtchi surprised GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu with a rare pawn sacrifice in the Petrov Defense. The younger grandmaster accepted the sacrifice and looked for a way to use his first-move advantage to gain an advantage. When the two-time challenger offered a three-move repetition, Praggnanandhaa thought for 30 minutes and reluctantly accepted the draw – rather than take risks while swimming in his opponent’s preparation.

Ian Nepomniachtchi finished his game against Praggnanandhaa with more time on the clock than at the beginning, showing that his preparation worked really well today! #Grandchesstour #Sinquefieldcup #pragg #IanNepomniachtchi pic.twitter.com/ZAnyslPUTr

— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) 26 August 2024

Vachier-Lagrave 1/2-1/2 Giri

Grandmasters Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Anish Giri had a very balanced and peaceful encounter in Berlin.

The draw streak reaches 24! https://t.co/DqldVd1NmU

— chess24 (@chess24com) 26 August 2024

In round eight, Firouzja has black against Nepomniachtchi. With a full point behind, Caruana will try to make up ground with the black pieces against Praggnanandhaa. Meanwhile, the players in third place will try to win to stay in the race.

Pairings of the 8th round