Super Chess Classic: Praggnanandhaa held to draw by Bogdan-Daniel

R Praggnanandhaa. Pic/AFP

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa settled for a draw against Romania's Deac Bogdan-Daniel in the sixth round of the Super Chess Classic. Meanwhile, France's Alireza Firouzja officially withdrew from the competition during the rest day.

Struggling with an ankle injury, Firouzja had managed to play only two games before deciding he could no longer continue in the ten-player tournament.

Germany's Vincent Keymer capitalised heavily on Firouzja's departure. Awarded a walkover victory for the round, Keymer extended his lead at the top to a full point.

With all other round six matchups ending in stalemates, Keymer sits comfortably in first place with 4.5 points. A chasing pack of four players, Praggnanandhaa, Jorden Van Foreest, Anish Giri, and top seed Fabiano Caruana, share second place with 3.5 points each.

Further down the standings, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Wesley So are tied for sixth with 3 points, followed closely by World Championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov on 2.5 points.

Bogdan-Daniel occupies the ninth spot with 2 points, while Firouzja's shortened campaign ends with 1 point. Despite being the lowest-ranked competitor, wildcard entry Bogdan-Daniel once again demonstrated why he is a tough opponent on home turf.

Playing with the black pieces, Praggnanandhaa looked to create early complications by deploying the aggressive Stonewall Dutch defence. However, Bogdan-Daniel remained unfazed and found precise responses to every tactical question. Following a series of regular piece exchanges, Praggnanandhaa briefly gained a pawn advantage, but a draw remained inevitable. The points were shared after a gruelling 68-move battle.

Elsewhere, Javokhir Sindarov played out his fifth draw of the tournament against Fabiano Caruana. Sindarov, who secured his spot against Gukesh for the upcoming world championship match by winning the Candidates tournament just last month, is still searching for his first victory here. Facing Caruana's Italian Opening, the American Grandmaster held a slight edge but chose a safer route in the middlegame, leading to a repetition of moves.

In the final match of the day, an all-Dutch battle saw Van Foreest and Giri split the points. Three rounds remain in the prestigious tournament, which features a total prize fund of $375,000, with $100,000 reserved for the ultimate champion.

Round 6 Result

Deac Bogdan-Daniel (Rou, 2) drew with R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 3.5); Vincent Keymer (Ger, 4.5) walk-over Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 1); Caruana Fabiano (Usa, 3.5) drew with Javokhir SIndarov (Uzb, 2.5); Jorden Van Foreest (Ned, 3.5) drew with Anish Giri (Ned, 3.5)

(With PTI inputs)