Sinquefield Cup: Gukesh takes on Firouzja, Praggnanandhaa meets Duda in round 6

World champion D. Gukesh has his task cut out when he takes on Alireza Firouzja of France, while compatriot R. Praggnanandhaa will meet Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland in the sixth round of the Sinquefield Cup here.

A rest day in high-level tournaments usually results in combative chess, and past the halfway stage, both Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh will not settle for anything less when the action resumes.

Local hero Fabiano Caruana leads the field on 3.5 points, with two victories and three draws thus far, and has been the pick among the 10 participants, midway into the tournament.

Praggnanandhaa is just a half a point behind on three with a lone victory over Gukesh in the first round, followed by four back-to-back draws.

The former, in the next round, has a perfect player to break the ice in Duda, known for his uncompromising style and tactical complications.

Also sharing the second spot is the in-form Armenian-turned-American Levon Aronian, while a pack of five players —- American duo of Wesley So and Samuel Sevian, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, Firouzja and Gukesh — are all within striking distance with 2.5 points each.

Another half point adrift is Duda, who has a full point lead over last-placed Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan.

Firouzja is a tough customer, but Gukesh is in the zone, where he has survived tough positions and came back strongly after his first-round loss.

Gukesh, having white pieces in this contest, tilts the balance in favour of the Indian, who needs a turnaround performance in the last four rounds.

While Caruana remains a favourite to win the title here, there are even more stakes besides the USD 350000 prize fund. The top four players in the overall standings of the Grand Chess Tour will make it to the grand finale slated to be held in Brazil later this year.

Published on Aug 24, 2025