R Praggnanandhaa defeated Javokhir Sindarov in a marathon second-round game at the Sinquefield Cup to join the leaders' pack. Meanwhile, Indian women chess players had a tough day at the Cairns Cup in St. Louis.
Missouri [US], August 12 (ANI): Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa continued his impressive run at the Sinquefield Cup, defeating World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov in the second round to move into a share of the early lead, according to ESPN. Praggnanandhaa secured the victory after a marathon encounter that remained largely balanced for most of the game. However, Sindarov blundered on the 82nd move, allowing the Indian to find a series of accurate responses before the Uzbek player resigned 13 moves later. With the win, Praggnanandhaa has collected 1.5 points from two rounds and is tied at the top of the standings with Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
Cairns Cup: Mixed Results for Indian Women
Meanwhile, Indian players endured a difficult second round at the Cairns Cup in St. Louis, with R Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy managing just half a point between them, according to ESPN. Vaishali drew against Bibisara Assaubayeva, while Divya suffered a defeat against Alice Lee and Humpy went down to Tan Zhongyi. Vaishali and Humpy have 0.5 points each after two rounds, while Divya has one point. Zhongyi and Lee lead the standings with two wins from as many rounds.
Praggnanandhaa's Recent Triumphs
Earlier this month, Praggnanandhaa secured the Grand Chess Tour St Louis Rapid and Blitz title. The 20-year-old drew against Javokhir Sindarov during the penultimate round to seal the tournament with a score of 23/35 points, finishing 1.5 points ahead of everyone else.
In June, the Indian Grandmaster scripted history by claiming the Norway Chess 2026 crown in Oslo after defeating Germany's Vincent Keymer in the tenth and final round. The victory completed a remarkable late surge by the Indian star, who registered four consecutive classical wins to secure one of the biggest titles of his career.
State Felicitation for Chess Star
Following this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday felicitated the Indian Grandmaster and presented him with a cash reward of Rs 50 lakh on behalf of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. The felicitation ceremony was held at the Chief Secretariat in Chennai, where the Chief Minister also played a game of chess with the 20-year-old Grandmaster. (ANI)
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