For a third time in the event, all games ended drawn at the Superbet Chess Classic in Bucharest. This means Fabiano Caruana continues to top the standings with a half-point lead over a chasing trio consisting of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Alireza Firouzja. In the final two rounds, set to take place on Thursday and Friday, Caruana will face Pragg (with white) and Anish Giri (with black).
The fact that all games ended drawn does not mean there was a lack of fighting spirit in the tournament’s seventh round. Most notably, Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave entered a complicated middlegame out of an English Opening before suddenly agreeing to a draw by threefold repetition, while Caruana and Wesley So failed to make the most of clear winning chances against Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, respectively.
Caruana gobbled up a pawn in a major-piece endgame that was evaluated as drawn by the engines. A mistake by Gukesh, however, gave Caruana a tactical chance which he failed to find with a bit over 2 minutes on his clock (Gukesh had less than a minute at that point).
So, on his part, ably consolidated the position of an advanced central passer before letting his large advantage slip amid a tactical struggle with both kings vulnerable to attacks. Abdusattorov defended resourcefully and was rewarded with an 86-move draw.
Results - Round 7
Praggnanandhaa, Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on the stage of the Grand Hotel Bucharest during round 7 | Photo: Lennart Ootes
Draw agreed | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The handshake | Photo: Lennart Ootes
A smiling Wesley So... | Photo: Lennart Ootes
...and a smiling Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: Lennart Ootes
