GM Alireza Firouzja is as soon as once more the only real chief of the 2024 Sinquefield Cup after beating GM Anish Giri in spherical 5 on Friday. The Dutchman is not on this planet’s prime 20 for the primary time in additional than a decade.
With all different video games ending in attracts, Firouzja leads with 3.5 factors going into the remaining day. GM Wesley So is trailing by half some extent. The Sinquefield Cup will proceed with spherical six on Sunday, August 25, at 2 p.m. ET / 20:00 CEST / 11:30 p.m. IST.
Spherical 5 Outcomes
Standings After Spherical 5
Firouzja 1-0 Giri
“I am pleased thus far with my play and hope to proceed the identical,” stated Firouzja because the fifth spherical was about to return to an finish in St. Louis. Since So solely scraped a draw towards Praggnanandhaa the French grandmaster is now the only real chief once more with 4 rounds to go.
Firouzja defeated Giri in spherical 5 and will have completed it even faster. In what began as a Giuoco Pianissimo, White received a knight to f5, normally an achievement already. On this case, it might have hit Black’s kingside with devastating impact. Firouzja stated he had checked out it, calculated 14-ply-deep however missed a mate-in-two on the finish of the road:
The sport went on and Firouzja had hassle discovering a great plan whereas Giri remained stable. After a repetition of strikes, Firouzja then missed 31…Qa5, after which he could not repeat a 3rd time and due to this fact was compelled to attempt 32.b4, which labored out fairly properly. He received a greater ending, which was immediately successful after an enormous mistake by Giri on transfer 42.
Requested concerning the event normally, and the truth that there’s continuously a unique participant in second place, Firouzja commented: “I believe it’s extremely aggressive as a result of it is the final event of the Tour. Everyone has some objectives. Wesley and Maxime for prime three, the opposite folks… Persons are taking part in preventing chess and that’s why I believe it adjustments.
I believe it’s very aggressive as a result of it’s the final event of the Tour. Everyone has some objectives.
—Alireza Firouzja
GM Rafael Leitao annotates the sport under:
Nepomniachtchi ½-½ Ding
What are the possibilities that you simply’re getting the very same rook endgame with three vs. three on the kingside and an additional d-pawn for White, two days in a row? GM Ian Nepomniachtchi smiled when this occurred in his recreation with GM Ding Liren in what was their third classical recreation for the reason that 2023 world championship match (they drew on the Superbet Basic final yr and Nepomniachtchi received in Wijk aan Zee this yr).
Why is Ian smiling? 😁 Do you keep in mind his recreation towards Wesley So from the earlier spherical? He misplaced the very same endgame with the Black items! What are the possibilities of getting the identical endgame right this moment, however with White? #SinquefieldCup #grandchesstour #nepoding pic.twitter.com/zuKEVhoSEf
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) August 23, 2024
“Clearly the endgame is just about a draw, not like a useless draw and I spent fairly a while yesterday shuffling the items round with an engine, like, how does it work,” stated Nepomniachtchi, who misplaced from the black aspect towards So the opposite day.
I spent fairly a while yesterday shuffling the items round with an engine, like, how does it work.
—Ian Nepomniachtchi
“Usually it’s a draw with each transfer, however for instance I put my king on f6 yesterday in entrance of the pawn and it turned out to be misplaced instantly after,” he added. In that recreation, in lots of circumstances the transfer …f5 would have been good, and Ding already had the pawn there.
Nepomniachtchi: “I believe he performed all the things appropriately, he put his rook on b6, and what’s most essential, his king wasn’t reduce [off] like mine. In some way I wasn’t as resourceful as my opponent yesterday.”
Nepomniachtchi made yet one more comment about his loss vs. So. The Russian GM apparently feels considerably annoyed about the best way the American participant approaches the sport:
“Referring to yesterday’s recreation, it’s like a little bit of a thriller to me. How does a man, Wesley I imply, carry on taking part in solely for a draw with the white items and rating some wins like this. That is just a few particular sort of expertise which deserves in all probability some massive kudos. It’s not the primary time towards me; it’s not the primary time within the Grand Chess Tour. This occurs fairly ceaselessly.”
Praggnanandhaa ½-½ So
Whereas it was Firouzja who had 9 lives in spherical 4, the identical might be stated for cat lover So the subsequent day. Enjoying the black items towards GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, he was near misplaced out of the opening, ended up in an endgame with rooks and opposite-colored bishops two (handed) pawns down, however saved it by the pores and skin of his tooth as Praggnanandhaa simply could not discover a systematic technique to push his pawns.
In one other Italian Recreation, So should have blended up his strains as a result of his novelty on transfer 12 and his follow-up transfer weren’t authorised by the engines in any respect. Praggnanandhaa reacted strongly and was a lot better by transfer 19.
Simply after the time management, the younger Indian GM received the aforementioned endgame (nonetheless with double rooks there) which should have been a technical win. As his opponent continued to make life troublesome for him, Praggnanandhaa spent a lot time on the clock looking for methods to make progress that he nearly flagged.
For example, when taking part in 72.Kf5 his clock was displaying 0:01 for greater than half a second. He was actually pushing it.
“This should have been a 3rd of a second to dropping on time on this place. Pointless,” stated GM Peter Svidler, who combines commentary with helping Pragg in St. Louis.
Abdusattorov ½-½ Gukesh
On this conflict between two tremendous sturdy teenage gamers, first GM Gukesh Dommaraju had some possibilities however finally it was GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov who ended up with an additional pawn. With solely heavy items on the board, this wasn’t sufficient for a win.
In a reasonably equal Ruy Lopez middlegame place (one with a number of d-pawns!), Abdusattorov’s 20.g3 and 21.h4 had been dangerous, kingside-weakening strikes however Gukesh failed to search out an thought identified by the engine. He was very correct in protection although after Abdusattorov took over the initiative:
Caruana ½-½ Vachier-Lagrave
He has been various together with his repertoire these days however for his forty fourth classical recreation with GM Fabiano Caruana (rating: 10-5 Caruana with 28 attracts), GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave picked his trusted Najdorf.
Caruana performed the sideline 6.Nb3 and MVL selected a Dragon-like setup with 6…g6, after which we did not get to see opposite-side castling however a extra quiet middlegame. Vachier-Lagrave’s 32…b4 was a pleasant means of making an outpost on d4, after which it was kind of a compelled draw.
Vachier-Lagrave might have set an unwelcome document for top-level chess, surpassing GM Magnus Carlsen‘s 21 consecutive attracts!
File confirmé 😀 pic.twitter.com/1RS5cXAIKJ
— Europe Echecs (@EuropeEchecs) August 24, 2024
Spherical 6 (Sunday) Pairings
The 2024 Sinquefield Cup is the final leg and remaining classical occasion of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour. Ten gamers compete in a classical single round-robin for his or her share of a $350,000 prize fund.
Earlier Protection
