R Praggnanandhaa misses out on joint leader spot after draw against D Gukesh at Superbet Classic chess tournament

NEW DELHI: Round three of the Superbet Classic chess tournament saw Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa miss a crucial opportunity to claim a share of the lead after a hard-fought draw against compatriot D Gukesh.
This result maintains Gukesh's position at the top of the leaderboard, tied with Fabiano Caruana, while Praggnanandhaa remains in a tie for third place.
A rematch of their encounter in the Candidates tournament earlier this year where Gukesh emerged victorious, the game saw Praggnanandhaa with promising chances in the endgame.
Opting for the Catalan Opening, Praggnanandhaa capitalized on Gukesh's early pawn sacrifice, generating counterplay on the queenside.
However, Gukesh skillfully recovered the pawn, achieving a slight advantage with his knight against Praggnanandhaa's bishop as the game progressed.
Transitioning into a queen and rook endgame, a seemingly straightforward draw was complicated by a critical error by Gukesh on his 53rd move. This blunder, a forced liquidation, transformed the game into a king and pawns endgame, offering Praggnanandhaa a potential path to victory.
Despite the opportunity, Praggnanandhaa couldn't find the decisive winning continuation, and the game ultimately ended in a draw. This round marked a shift in the tournament's dynamic, with all five games ending in draws for the first time in three days.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave came close to securing a victory against fellow Frenchman Alireza Firouzja. In a Berlin Defense game, Firouzja initially gained the upper hand, achieving a balanced position with the black pieces. However, a late error in the queenless middlegame allowed Vachier-Lagrave to seize the initiative, narrowly missing a win.

The series of draws left the leaderboard unchanged. Gukesh and Caruana remain tied for first place with two points each. Praggnanandhaa, Vachier-Lagrave, Firouzja, Wesley So, Anish Giri, and Ian Nepomniachtchi share third place with 1.5 points each. Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Bogdan-Daniel trail slightly behind with one point each.
Other notable games in round three included Giri's uneventful draw against Nepomniachtchi on his 30th birthday and Bogdan-Daniel's resilient defence against So, securing a draw in a slightly disadvantageous endgame.
With six rounds remaining in this prestigious tournament, the race for the USD 350,000 prize money remains wide open. The upcoming rounds promise further exciting battles as these chess titans continue their strategic duels.