Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa played out a hard-fought draw against Romanian player Deac Bogdan-Daniel in the sixth round of the Super Chess Classic, a tournament that forms part of the prestigious Grand Chess Tour.
The round also saw a major development as France’s Alireza Firouzja withdrew from the tournament due to an ankle injury. Firouzja had continued to compete despite the injury for two rounds, but eventually decided during the rest day that he could no longer continue in the 10-player, nine-round event.
Firouzja’s withdrawal proved beneficial for Germany’s Vincent Keymer, who received a walkover victory in round six and extended his lead at the top of the standings to a full point.
With all the remaining games ending in draws, Keymer stayed in sole lead with 4.5 points. He is now one point ahead of a chasing group consisting of the Netherlands’ Jorden van Foreest and Anish Giri, top-seeded American Fabiano Caruana, and Praggnanandhaa, all tied on 3.5 points each.
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France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and American Grandmaster Wesley So share sixth place with three points apiece. Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov is just behind them on 2.5 points, while Deac Bogdan-Daniel occupies ninth position with two points. Firouzja finished his shortened campaign with one point from five games.
Although Deac entered the tournament as the lowest-rated participant, the Romanian wild card has repeatedly shown why he earned a place in the main draw, producing several resilient performances against elite opposition.
Against Praggnanandhaa, the Romanian held firm despite the Indian Grandmaster opting for an aggressive and complex approach right from the opening by choosing the Stonewall Dutch Defence. Deac responded confidently and matched Praggnanandhaa move for move throughout the game.
Pieces were exchanged steadily as the game progressed, and although Praggnanandhaa briefly won a pawn, the position eventually simplified into an inevitable draw. The contest concluded peacefully after 68 moves.
Sindarov, who had been in outstanding form just over a month ago after winning the Candidates Tournament to secure the right to challenge D Gukesh for the next World Championship title, has struggled to find momentum in this event. The Uzbek star is still searching for his first victory after six rounds and recorded his fifth draw of the tournament against Caruana.
Their game featured the Italian Opening, where Caruana appeared to hold a slight edge in the early stages. However, the American chose not to overextend himself, and the position gradually levelled out during the middlegame before the players agreed to a draw through repetition of moves.
In the other encounter of the round, van Foreest and compatriot Giri also split the point after a balanced contest. With three rounds still remaining, the tournament remains wide open. The event carries a total prize fund of USD 375,000, including USD 100,000 reserved for the eventual winner.
Round 6 results:
Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Romania, 2) drew with R Praggnanandhaa (India, 3.5); Vincent Keymer (Germany, 4.5) received a walkover against Alireza Firouzja (France, 1); Fabiano Caruana (USA, 3.5) drew with Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan, 2.5); Jorden van Foreest (Netherlands, 3.5) drew with Anish Giri (Netherlands, 3.5).
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