Daijiworld Media Network - Missouri

Missouri, Aug 19: Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the eighth and penultimate round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis, moving into a share of the lead with American Wesley So.

Praggnanandhaa now has five points from eight rounds and has also secured his place in the Grand Finale scheduled to be held later this year.

Wesley So drew with compatriot Sam Sevian, allowing Praggnanandhaa to join him at the top. Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov continued his impressive run with a third consecutive victory, defeating Jorden van Foreest to move to 4.5 points.

Germany’s Vincent Keymer also registered a major win, overcoming top seed Fabiano Caruana to join Sindarov in third place. Meanwhile, Anish Giri and Levon Aronian played out a draw.
Pragg dominates after early sacrifice

Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa faced an aggressive approach from Vachier-Lagrave, who took considerable risks early in the game.

The Frenchman sacrificed a piece in an attempt to gain an advantage, but Praggnanandhaa defended accurately. Although the Indian grandmaster gave up three pawns in exchange for the piece, he reorganised his forces effectively and secured victory in just 28 moves.

Keymer, meanwhile, defeated Caruana after a tactical battle that lasted 76 moves. Sindarov continued his winning streak by beating Van Foreest in a 56-move technical endgame.

Final-round battles

The final round promises several crucial encounters.

Praggnanandhaa will take on Anish Giri with the white pieces, while Sindarov will face Wesley So in another important clash. Keymer will meet Van Foreest and could join the leaders with a victory.

Round 8 results:

• Javokhir Sindarov beat Jorden van Foreest

• Wesley So drew with Sam Sevian

• Vincent Keymer beat Fabiano Caruana

• Anish Giri drew with Levon Aronian

• R Praggnanandhaa beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave