Praggnanandhaa Held to Draw in Superbet Classic, Caruana Leads

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa's hopes of a strong finish in the Superbet Classic tournament were dented after he was held to a draw by the lowest-ranked player in the field, Deac Bogdan-Daniel of Romania. The result leaves Praggnanandhaa in a three-way tie for second place, half a point behind tournament leader Fabiano Caruana of the United States.

Praggnanandhaa, who has been in impressive form this year, tried to break down Bogdan-Daniel's solid Nimzo Indian defense but was unable to find a breakthrough. The game was eventually drawn through repetition after 38 moves.

"It was a tough game," said Praggnanandhaa. "I tried my best, but I couldn't find a way to win. I'm disappointed, but I'll try to come back stronger in the next round."

Bogdan-Daniel, who is ranked 267th in the world, was delighted with his result. "I'm very happy with the draw," he said. "Praggnanandhaa is a very strong player, so I'm proud to have held him to a draw."

In other games, Iranian-French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja continued his impressive form with a win over Wesley So of the United States. Firouzja, who is now tied for second place with Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh of India, is now just half a point behind Caruana.

Gukesh, who is preparing for his World Championship match against Ding Liren in November, played a cautious game against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France and settled for a draw.

With just three rounds remaining in the tournament, Caruana is in a strong position to win the title. However, Praggnanandhaa, Firouzja, and Gukesh will all be looking to catch him and claim the top prize.

Tags: #chess, #superbetclassic, #praggnanandhaa, #bogdan-daniel, #firouzja