Sunday, October 5, 2025
26.1 C
New Delhi

Praggnanandhaa confident of possible playoffs at Sinquefield Cup, but Gukesh could lend a helping hand: ‘This year playoffs have been…’

The Sinquefield Cup 2025 is on a knife’s edge as R Praggnanandhaa and Fabiano Caruana lead the standings with just one round to go. While there are many contenders for the title, D Gukesh could help Praggnanandhaa prevail.

R Praggnanandhaa put up a brave face as the possibility of a playoff on the final day of the Sinquefield Cup 2025 looms large amid his mission to qualify for the Grand Chess Tour Finals 2025. While world champion D Gukesh of India has been struggling with form and in his search for wins at the Saint Louis Club tournament, Praggnanandhaa has dominated the proceedings, currently jointly leading the standings with Fabiano Caruana after eight rounds of Classical matches.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

On Tuesday, Praggnanandhaa played out a draw with Wesley So, who had defeated Gukesh in the seventh round. The 20-year-old Praggnanandhaa now has five points with his final match against Levon Aronian. World No.3 Caruana drew against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in Round 8 and faces Gukesh in the final match.

Aronian is joint-second with 4.5 points alongside Wesley, while Maxime, Sam Sevian and Jan-Krzysztof Duda are joint-third with 4 points each. Gukesh is fourth with 3.5 points. Alireza Firouzja has 3 points, while Nodirbek Abdusattorov is at the bottom (2.5).

World No.4 Praggnanandhaa and Caruana are the favourites to win the Sinquefield Cup 2025 if they can maintain their lead even after Round 9; however, there’s a strong possibility that they may have to face off against each other in the playoffs.

Gukesh can help Praggnanandhaa win Sinquefield Cup 2025

Praggnanandhaa sounded extremely confident when he was asked about the possibility of a playoff. He has been doing well in the playoffs and tie-breakers this year, winning the Tata Steel Chess Masters, Superbet Chess Classic and UzChess Cup Masters in the playoffs.

“This year, the playoffs have been good for me,” Praggnanandhaa told Grand Chess Tour on the possibility of a tie-breaker on Wednesday. “There are two Classical games, mine and Fabi, so you never know.”

The Indian chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa will also hope for some support from fellow Chennai Grandmaster Gukesh, who can spoil the party for Caruana by winning his final round match.

A victory in the Sinquefield Cup 2025 could also help Praggnanandhaa qualify directly for the Grand Chess Tour Finals 2025.

End of Article

Go to Source

Hot this week

Maharashtra: US national among 3 held for illegal conversion bid in Bhiwandi; claimed to cure illnesses

BHIWANDI: The Bhiwandi taluka police late Friday arrested a 58-year-old US national, who is in India on a business visa, and two local residents for allegedly attempting to convert villagers in Chimbipada to Christianity. Read More

Pierpaolo Piccioli debuts at Balenciaga, with Meghan and Lauren applauding

Published October 5, 2025 Saturday night in Paris witnessed the debut of Pierpaolo Piccioli at one of fashion’s most mythical marques, Balenciaga. Read More

TOI Dialogues: Thought leaders, icons converge to celebrate Uttarakhand growth story

Dhami said development projects worth over Rs 2 lakh crore are underway in the state DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand edition of TOI Dialogues, the flagship property of The Times of India, brought together a vibrant mix of policymakers, th Read More

No fee needed for kids’ Aadhaar biometric updates till October next year

Representative image NEW DELHI: Unique Identification Authority of India waived off all charges for mandatory biometric update of Aadhaar for children, an official statement said on Saturday. Read More

Gaza peace deal to a close? Donald Trump claims Israel agrees to ‘initial withdrawal line’; hints at immediate ceasefire

Trump says Israel agrees to ‘initial withdrawal line’; hints at immediate ceasefire (Pic Source: Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump) US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that Israel has agreed to an “initial Read More

Topics

Maharashtra: US national among 3 held for illegal conversion bid in Bhiwandi; claimed to cure illnesses

BHIWANDI: The Bhiwandi taluka police late Friday arrested a 58-year-old US national, who is in India on a business visa, and two local residents for allegedly attempting to convert villagers in Chimbipada to Christianity. Read More

Pierpaolo Piccioli debuts at Balenciaga, with Meghan and Lauren applauding

Published October 5, 2025 Saturday night in Paris witnessed the debut of Pierpaolo Piccioli at one of fashion’s most mythical marques, Balenciaga. Read More

TOI Dialogues: Thought leaders, icons converge to celebrate Uttarakhand growth story

Dhami said development projects worth over Rs 2 lakh crore are underway in the state DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand edition of TOI Dialogues, the flagship property of The Times of India, brought together a vibrant mix of policymakers, th Read More

No fee needed for kids’ Aadhaar biometric updates till October next year

Representative image NEW DELHI: Unique Identification Authority of India waived off all charges for mandatory biometric update of Aadhaar for children, an official statement said on Saturday. Read More

Gaza peace deal to a close? Donald Trump claims Israel agrees to ‘initial withdrawal line’; hints at immediate ceasefire

Trump says Israel agrees to ‘initial withdrawal line’; hints at immediate ceasefire (Pic Source: Truth Social/@realDonaldTrump) US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that Israel has agreed to an “initial Read More

Ease of immigration to make Navi Mumbai airport a ‘true hub’

NMIA will have an initial annual capacity to handle 2 crore passengers NEW DELHI: Unshackling India’s financial capital from its decades-old aviation infra crunch with the inauguration of the Navi Mumbai International Airport Read More

Netanyahu says he hopes to announce hostage release in the ‘coming days’

51 minutes ago ShareSave Hugo BachegaMiddle East correspondent in Jerusalem and Henri Astier ShareSave Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he hopes to announce the release of hostages being held in Gaza “in Read More

UPSC to Supreme Court: Will release answer key after prelims

File photo (ANI) NEW DELHI: After resisting for years the release of the answer key immediately after the preliminary examination, UPSC has given in to students’ demands and told Supreme Court it will publish a provisional a Read More

Related Articles