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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.

In the intense battle for the Candidates Tournament, India's D Gukesh suffered a heartbreaking loss to Alireza Firouzja in Round 7, knocking him out of the shared lead. The result propelled Ian Nepomniachtchi, who drew his game with Hikaru Nakamura, back into sole possession of first place.Gukesh, playing with White, faced an unbalanced position created by Firouzja's London System. Despite Firouzja's struggles in the tournament, he found inspiration in an online blitz session on the morning of the game. With time running out, Firouzja executed a brilliant Nd7! move, forcing Gukesh into a time scramble.Under immense pressure, Gukesh made a crucial mistake with Kh7, allowing Firouzja to deliver checkmate with 37…Rf3. The blitz session may have provided Firouzja with the spark he needed to pursue a mating attack, while Gukesh's first defeat in seven rounds dealt a significant blow to his title hopes.Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa continued his impressive run with an ambitious French Defense against world No. 2 Fabiano Caruana. Despite Caruana's previous successes against the French Defense, Praggnanandhaa's deep knowledge of the line forced a draw in 41 moves.Praggnanandhaa expressed satisfaction with his tournament performance, highlighting the quality of his games and his ability to recall lines at the board. He credited his support system for helping him overcome tough moments.As the players enter a rest day before the final seven rounds, the standings remain tight. Nepomniachtchi leads with 4.5 points, followed by Caruana and Praggnanandhaa with 4 points each. Gukesh is tied with Nakamura and Abasov at 3.5 points.