World champion Gukesh managed to earn 1.5 points from his match against American Grandmaster Wesley So, clinching victory in the Armageddon tie-break after missing a winning chance in the classical game, lifting his total to eight points overall.
Nevertheless, he remained at the bottom of the six-player double round-robin standings.
Praggnanandhaa, on the other hand, handed French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja a second consecutive classical loss, earning the full three points and climbing to nine. However, this had little impact on the standings, as the young Indian GM stayed in fifth place and Gukesh in sixth.
Both Indians, however, are still within striking distance of the leaders and have the potential to mount a late challenge with three rounds remaining.
Wesley So continued to lead the field with 12.5 points, while Alireza held second place with 10. A tightly contested group of three players—Praggnanandhaa, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, and Germany’s Vincent Keymer—shared third place with nine points, keeping the title race open as the final three rounds approach.
Seven-time champion Carlsen is making a comeback after a shaky start, defeating Keymer in the Armageddon tie-break to stay firmly in the race.
Few would count the Norwegian out of the title race, given his well-known ability to recover from early challenges and mount late comebacks—a remarkable trait that has led to many of his past victories.
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Gukesh, playing as White, had maneuvered into a winning position by activating his king and steadily increasing his advantage. However, severe time trouble—only 18 minutes left compared to So’s hour—proved detrimental as the American defended effectively, leading to a draw in the classical game.
The world champion, however, rectified this in the Armageddon tie-break, displaying sharp calculation to clinch victory through a bold pawn grab on the queenside.
Praggnanandhaa, also playing as White, took command by the 26th move when he won an extra pawn and steadily tightened his grip.
With Alireza increasingly under time pressure, the Indian kept searching for weaknesses before launching a fierce attack at a critical moment in the game.
With only two minutes left on his clock, the French GM faced tremendous difficulty in mounting a robust defense, allowing Praggnanandhaa to convert his advantage into a dominant position.
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Divya Deshmukh beats Koneru Humpy
Divya Deshmukh showcased a fearless performance again, sacrificing a pawn early and gaining full compensation through aggressive play. Starting the day just a point behind leader Bibisara Assaubayeva, the World Cup winner firmly kept herself in the title race by defeating veteran Koneru Humpy in an all-Indian clash.
The classical game ended in a draw, but Divya sealed the win in the Armageddon tie-break, keeping her hopes alive and setting up a pivotal Round 8 match where a classical victory over Bibisara could allow her to take the lead.
However, Assaubayeva continued her impressive form, defeating China’s Zhu Jiner in the classical game to collect the full three points and rise to 12.5, while Divya moved to 10, remaining 2.5 points behind the in-form Kazakh as the tournament heads into its decisive stretch.
“I started seeing ghosts, and that’s the only reason I didn’t win in the classical game,” Divya mentioned in her post-match interview. “I saw every potential winning move, but I don’t know, my mind just hallucinated, and after that it was equal.” Results: (Round 7) Open: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 9) bt Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 10); Vincent Keymer (Ger, 9) lost to Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 9); D Gukesh (Ind, 8) bt Wesley So (USA, 12.5).
Women: Koneru Humpy (Ind, 6.5) lost to Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 10); Ju Wenjun (Chn, 9) lost to Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 9.5); Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 12.5) bt Zhu Jiner (Chn, 7).
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