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With 2 rounds to go at the Sinquefield Cup, Alireza Firouzja is now the clear favourite both to win the classical tournament and the Grand Chess Tour series. In round 7, Firouzja defeated world champion Ding Liren with white to get a 1-point advantage over Fabiano Caruana who stands in sole second place.
Firouzja and Ding entered a strategically rich position out of an Italian Opening. Ding found himself clearly down on the clock - he had 8 minutes left to Firouzja's 49 after move 25 - and failed to keep the balance once the battle turned tactical. It was a remarkable showing by Firouzja, who has so far gained 15.4 rating points in the event.
In the one other game that ended decisively on Monday, Nodirbek Abdusattorov grabbed his first win of the event playing white against Wesley So. Abdusattorov is now 1 of 5 players standing in shared third place with a 50-percent score.
The final 2 rounds will see sole leader Firouzja facing Ian Nepomniachtchi (with black) and R. Praggnanandhaa (with white).
Round 7 results
Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Analysis by André Schulz
Ding Liren | Photo: Lennart Ootes
