Pragg and So tied for first place
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu joined Wesley So in the lead of the Sinquefield Cup after round eight, with both players on 5/8 points going into Wednesday's final round. Pragg scored the day's quickest win, defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with the black pieces in 27 moves, while So drew Sam Sevian.
Vincent Keymer and Javokhir Sindarov are half a point behind on 4½/8 after both won on Tuesday. Keymer bounced back from his round-seven loss by beating Fabiano Caruana, while Sindarov followed his victory over Keymer with another full point against Jorden van Foreest. Anish Giri and Levon Aronian drew the remaining game.
The Hyper-Accelerated dragon is fast, from the very first moves, your bishop heads to g7, seizes the long diagonal, and turns into the most feared piece on the board.
It rewards players who love initiative and clear attacking plans.
This two-volume course presents a complete repertoire for Black after 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 - the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon. In recent years, this dynamic line has grown significantly in popularity, with several of the world’s top players adding it to their repertoires.
This variation has two main advantages for black, he does not have to face the Rossolimo or Moscower Variation after 3.Bb5 and in many lines he can play d5 in one go and save a tempo. This first volume covers the Open Sicilian with both the razor sharp lines from the dragon and the positional Maroczy Bind.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.Be3 Qb6 Introduction
Pragg's win came from a sharp middlegame in which Vachier-Lagrave sacrificed a minor piece for two pawns. The Frenchman did not find the most precise continuation, and Pragg soon took control of the complications. The result also guaranteed the Indian grandmaster a place in the Grand Chess Tour Finals.
So, meanwhile, recorded his fifth consecutive draw. He was well-prepared in a Queen's Gambit Declined and maintained a sizeable time advantage. The position simplified and the game ended by threefold repetition on move 35. Since winning in rounds two and three, So has remained unbeaten without adding another victory.
Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Sindarov's second straight win came after Van Foreest made a serious error by playing the wrong capture on move 17. The Dutchman has now lost all five of his games with black in Saint Louis. Sindarov's late surge has also kept his GCT Finals chances alive, as he needs to finish ahead of Keymer in the tournament standings to overtake him in the overall tour race.
Keymer, on his part, defeated Caruana after choosing the unusual 2.c3!? following 1.d4 d5. The German star handled the resulting unorthodox position with poise and gradually outplayed the world number two.
The longest game of the day was Giri v. Aronian, which lasted 157 moves and became the longest game in Sinquefield Cup history. Giri pressed in an endgame with rook and bishop versus rook, but Aronian defended accurately and held the balance.
The final round will see Sindarov face So, while Keymer has black against Van Foreest. If the tournament ends with a tie for first place, playoffs will decide the champion.
Round 8 results
Standings after round 8
Round 9 pairings
With the moves d4-Nf3-e3-Bd3 White aims for simple piece development and to slowly build up a devastating attack on the kingside!
One of the simplest openings for White to learn, and one of the most frustrating ones for Black to face! With the moves d4-Nf3-e3-Bd3 White aims for simple piece development and to slowly build up a devastating attack on the kingside!
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: e4-e5 attacking ideas
Vachier-Lagrave 0-1 Praggnanandhaa
The Trompowsky is especially suited for faster time controls as you don‘t have to memorise endless lines of theory, and you push your opponent out of their comfort zone after your second move.
Nowadays, the list of requirements for an opening repertoire is long: being sound and sustainable; not requiring much memorisation; offering great attacking chances; making your opponent think early on etc… The time of finding a minimal advantage from the opening has passed, and we are better off with a more practical approach - simply understanding the position better than our opponent does. The Repertoire for White 1.d4 ... 2.Bg5! from IM Robert Ris answers all these requirements!
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 e6 3.e4 Be7/d5/c5
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave v. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Keymer 1-0 Caruana
Become a master of chess strategy – get Robert Ris’s complete bundle now at a special price!
Become a master of chess strategy – get Robert Ris’s complete bundle now at a special price!
Vincent Keymer | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Sindarov 1-0 Van Foreest
These video courses feature a black repertoire against 1.d4, 1.Nf3 and 1.c4. The recommended variations are easy to learn and not difficult to remember, but also pose White serious challenges.
Javokhir Sindarov | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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