Superbet Classic 2024, Round 8: Gukesh D and Praggnanandhaa R settle at second rank with one round to go

Modified Jul 05, 2024 07:54 IST

Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023 — Praggnanandhaa R in action (PC - Getty)

The penultimate day of the ongoing Superbet Classic Romania competition ended on Thursday, July 4. The Superbet Classic Romania is the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour 2024, which started on June 26 and will conclude on Friday, July 5, in Bucharest.

The fourth day of the campaign was full of draws as the Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana continued his slight 0.5 lead in the standings after his drawn game over Praggnanandhaa R.

The contest between Grandmasters Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Bogdan Daniel Deac lasted for almost six hours, with the duo settling for a draw eventually.

Alireza Firouzja, Praggnanandhaa R, and Gukesh D occupy the joint-second rank in the tally with 4.5 points each. The Indian Grandmasters need a win in the ninth and final round of the campaign to ascend in the standings and stand a chance to win the title.

Gukesh D will compete with Wesley So in the final round while Praggnanandhaa R will take on Alireza Firouzja. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier Lagrave are in joint-fifth positions with four points apiece.

Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Anish Giri settle at the seventh rank while Bogdan Daniel Deac is at the last spot with three points. With one final round to go, we would be having the title winner soon.