The eighth round of the Superbet Classic chess tournament saw a continuation of the tight competition, with no decisive games and draws on all five boards. Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw with American Fabiano Caruana, while world championship challenger D Gukesh also split points with Dutchman Anish Giri. This stalemate maintained Caruana’s slender half-point lead going into the final round of the 10-player round-robin tournament, part of the Grand Chess Tour.
With five points from eight games, Caruana is closely followed by Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, and Alireza Firouzja of France, all a half-point behind. Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France share fifth place on four points each, ahead of Wesley So of the United States, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan, and Giri, who all have 3.5 points. Deac Bogdan-Daniel of Romania remains at the bottom of the standings on three points in the USD 350,000 prize money tournament.
Caruana, playing white, opted for the English opening, gaining a semblance of an advantage in the early middle game. However, a series of exchanges on move 14 allowed Praggnanandhaa to equalize easily. The game eventually reached a rook and minor piece endgame, which was drawn in just 31 moves.
In his post-game interview, Praggnanandhaa expressed his disappointment at missing two chances earlier in the tournament but acknowledged that such things happen.
Gukesh, playing with white, sacrificed a pawn in the middle game against Giri’s Nimzo Indian defense, aiming for piece play. The position offered sufficient compensation for the Indian, but Giri opted for a repetition of the position to avoid any risks, leading to a draw in just 30 moves.
So and Vachier-Lagrave, playing an Italian opening, also drew their game. The ninth and final round promises to be a nail-biter, with the title still up for grabs and several players in contention.
