Super Chess Classic: Praggnanandhaa Draws With Keymer, Remains Joint Leader

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa played out a solid draw with Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the third round of the Super Chess Classic , part of the Grand Chess Tour , to remain in joint lead after an intense day of top-level action.

Coming off a confident win against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov in the previous round, Praggnanandhaa took his score to two points from three games . He now shares the lead with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, the Dutch duo of Jorden Van Foreest and Anish Giri , and Keymer himself, highlighting how closely contested the tournament has become.

With five players tied at the top, the standings remain tightly packed. American Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So continued their steady start, drawing all their games so far to reach 1.5 points each . Meanwhile, Iran-born French GM Alireza Firouzja and Romanian player Bogdan-Daniel Deac are still searching for momentum, sitting on 0.5 points each after three rounds.

Playing with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa opted for the Capablanca Variation against the Nimzo-Indian Defence . Keymer, known for his solid preparation, responded accurately and even sacrificed a pawn early to equalise comfortably. The game gradually simplified into a rook and minor-piece endgame , where Keymer’s precise defensive technique neutralised Praggnanandhaa’s extra pawn. After a long battle lasting 64 moves , both players agreed to a draw.

Elsewhere in the round, Anish Giri produced a strong performance to secure his first victory of the event, defeating Alireza Firouzja in a sharp King’s Indian battle. Giri gained control in the middlegame and converted his advantage after forcing Firouzja into giving up material.

Dutch GM Jorden Van Foreest continued his impressive form, defeating Deac with the black pieces in another King’s Indian Defence , showing superior handling of complex positions. The remaining two encounters Caruana vs Wesley So and Sindarov vs Vachier-Lagrave both ended in draws after balanced play.

The Super Chess Classic is a nine-round, ten-player elite tournament with a total prize fund of USD 350,000 , including USD 100,000 for the winner , making every half-point crucial in the race for the title.