R Praggnanandhaa will be looking to regain his form in the sixth round of the Superbet Classic Chess tournament, facing Deac Bogdan-Daniel of Romania. Despite having missed out on winning opportunities in previous rounds, Praggnanandhaa remains a strong contender. Meanwhile, World Championship challenger D Gukesh has displayed impressive resilience, navigating through several challenging games in the tournament.
With five rounds completed and four remaining, both Indian players, holding three points each, are in contention for the top spot. The current leader, Fabiano Caruana of the United States, boasts 3.5 points. Other strong contenders include Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, and American Wesley So, all tied for fourth place with 2.5 points. Anish Giri of the Netherlands and Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan are half a point behind, while Bogdan-Daniel sits at the bottom of the table with 1.5 points.
Gukesh will face Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with black pieces, a matchup that should favor the Indian player who has been experimenting with different strategies against the King pawn opening. Vachier-Lagrave, known for his cautious opening approach, will be hoping for a complicated game but faces an uphill battle.
Praggnanandhaa, playing with white pieces, will be both favored and under pressure. In the previous round, he missed a straightforward winning opportunity against Wesley So. Earlier, Gukesh survived a theoretically lost endgame against Praggnanandhaa. Praggnanandhaa will need to deliver a strong performance against Bogdan-Daniel, who is still searching for his first victory. With only three draws so far, the Romanian knows he faces a tough challenge against a formidable opponent.
Caruana has been in good form and will aim to continue his strong performance. His next encounter will be against Ian Nepomniachtchi, who has drawn all his games in the tournament. The upcoming rounds promise exciting battles as the players strive for victory in this prestigious tournament.
