Sinquefield Cup: D Gukesh bounces back with crushing win over Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov
World champion D Gukesh shrugged off his opening-round setback with a brilliant win over former world rapid champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in the second round of the Sinquefield Cup.
On the same day, R Praggnanandhaa opted for a quiet approach to hold American Fabiano Caruana to a draw, while France's Alireza Firouzja produced a masterclass in the endgame, breaking through the defenses of Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda in one of the other decisive encounters.
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Elsewhere, Levon Aronian and Samuel Sevian drew their all-American clash to stay in joint lead, while Wesley So of the United States split the point with France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the 10-player, USD 375,000 prize-money event.
After two rounds, Praggnanandhaa, Aronian, and Firouzja share the lead on 1.5 points. Gukesh climbed to joint fourth alongside Caruana, Wesley So, Sevian, and Vachier-Lagrave. Duda sits ninth on half a point, while Abdusattorov remains at the bottom, yet to open his account after two consecutive defeats.
Facing the open Sicilian, a line once popularised by Viktor Korchnoi, Gukesh opted for a testing variation, embracing mainstream theory.
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Abdusattorov managed to secure a dangerous passed pawn in the centre, but his king was constantly under threat as Gukesh's imaginative manoeuvres came to the fore.
The Indian teenager converted the pressure into a favourable rook-versus-knight endgame. Despite some counterplay for the Uzbek, the ticking clock made accuracy elusive. With precise exchanges, Gukesh closed out the contest to claim a memorable victory.
Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa turned the tables on Caruana by choosing the Rossolimo Variation—the very line the American had employed extensively in his World Championship clash with Magnus Carlsen. Caruana, however, demonstrated his deep understanding of the pawn structures, and the game simplified into a rook-and-minor-piece ending that ended in a draw.
Firouzja, on the other hand, underlined his technical prowess.
Tasked with converting a bishop-and-knight versus king endgame, the Frenchman executed the sequence flawlessly to secure a full point.
Results round 2:
R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 1.5) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 1); Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 1.5) beat Duda Jan Kryzstof (Pol, 0.5); Levon Aronian (USA, 1.5) drew with Samuel Sevian (USA, 1); Wesley So (USA, 1) drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra, 1); D Gukesh (Ind) beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb).
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