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Before their face-off in the Sinquefield Cup 2025, Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa and his French counterpart Alireza Firouzja have faced off in ten previous classical encounters, with the latter claiming victory in their first meeting in 2017 and the remaining nine games ending in draws. But their eleventh faceoff witnessed Praggnanandhaa capitalising on Firouzja’s errors, and carried on his form after his first round win over World Champion D. Gukesh, which was Praggnanandhaa’s first classical win against him since April 2022.
Indian GM R. Praggnanandhaa delivered a commanding performance to defeat France’s Alireza Firouzja in a classical rated game for the first time, propelling himself into a joint lead with Fabiano Caruana at the 2025 Sinquefield Cup, the final leg of the Grand Chess Tour. The Round 7 victory, played on August 25 at the Saint Louis Chess Club, saw him tying with Caruana at 4.5/7.
Praggnanandhaa, rated 2779, turned the tables against the World No. 5 (2766) in a 27-move masterclass. Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa seized the initiative in the center, leveraging his bishop pair to dominate the board. The game ended with Firouzja resigning as Praggnanandhaa’s precise play left no room for recovery.
Still a long way to go, taking one game at a time: R. Praggnanandhaa
Before defeating Alireza Firouzja, R. Praggnanandhaa’s first round victory against D. Gukesh elevated him to World No. 3 with a live rating of 2784. In a post-game interview with the Saint Louis Chess Club, Praggnanandhaa expressed cautious optimism, stating, “Happy to be sharing the lead alongside Fabiano Caruana with 4.5 points after 7 rounds. Still a long way to go, taking it one game at a time.” Meanwhile struggles continued for Gukesh, who faced a tough challenge against Wesley So, who secured his first win of the tournament. Gukesh opted for the Berlin Defense in the Ruy Lopez, but So side-stepped the traditional endgame, gaining a slight advantage.
The Sinquefield Cup, a 10-player round-robin event with a $350,000 prize money, is a critical battleground for securing spots in the Grand Chess Tour Finals in Sao Paulo (September 26–October 4). With only two rounds remaining, Praggnanandhaa’s 4.5 points placed him alongside Caruana, who drew his game against Levon Aronian. Aronian and Wesley So trail closely with 4 points each, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, and Samuel Sevian share fifth place with 3.5 points. Firouzja and Gukesh are tied for seventh with 3 points, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov lags at 1.5 points.
