R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh, Indian Grandmasters have played wonderful and completely different games in the fifth round of the Sinquefield Cup, with both settling for draws in a round where no one of the five boards gave a clear result.
Praggnanandhaa opted playing with black. He had a comparatively quiet outing against French veteran Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The Indian teenager encountered no problems in equalising early while facing the Rossolimo Sicilian.
Further, the players reached a balanced middle game after a few routine exchanges. Vachier-Lagrave opted against taking risks. A repetition of moves followed, sealing a calm result in just 26 moves.
If Praggnanandhaa’s draw was smooth, Gukesh’s game against Poland’s Duda Jan-Krzysztof was anything but. Starting with the black pieces in a Queen’s pawn opening, the world champion equalised comfortably but then ventured into complications — a trademark of his fearless style. However, the gamble nearly backfired as Duda found resourceful manoeuvres, steering the position into favourable territory. Computer analysis later confirmed that the Polish Grandmaster had obtained a clearly better game.
Yet, chess is unforgiving, and a slip in the middle game allowed Gukesh to wrest back control. With precise play, he neutralised Duda’s initiative and steered the game towards repetition after 45 moves, ensuring survival in what could easily have been his first loss of the event.
Elsewhere, Fabiano Caruana continued to hold on to his tournament lead. The American drew with compatriot Wesley So, maintaining his tally at 3.5 points out of a possible 5. Close on his heels are Praggnanandhaa and Levon Aronian, both sitting half a point behind with 3 points.
The standings after five rounds highlight how tightly contested the event remains. Behind the leaders, a cluster of five players — Gukesh, Firouzja, Wesley So, Samuel Sevian, and Vachier-Lagrave — occupy the fourth spot with 2.5 points each. Duda, despite showing promise in his game against Gukesh, is still stuck on two points. At the bottom sits Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who has endured a difficult tournament so far with just one point.
Samuel Sevian, meanwhile, has impressed with his steady form, splitting the point with Uzbekistan’s Abdusattorov in this round. Levon Aronian, another consistent performer, drew his encounter with Alireza Firouzja. Both remain well within striking distance of the leaders heading into the crucial final stretch of the nine-round tournament.
With the halfway stage now completed, the Sinquefield Cup is finely balanced. Only one point separates Caruana at the top and the player placed eighth in the standings, meaning the race for the crown is wide open. The players will have a rest day before returning to battle, and the closing rounds promise plenty of drama.
Beyond the tournament itself, the stakes are higher with the Grand Chess Tour in mind. The top four finishers across the tour qualify for the prestigious finale later this year. Every half-point gained in Saint Louis could prove decisive in shaping that lineup.
Praggnanandhaa’s solidity and Gukesh’s resilience under pressure highlight the growing presence of Indian talent on the global stage. As the competition resumes, both will look to push for victories that could not only enhance their Sinquefield standings but also cement their credentials among the world’s elite.
