Wesley So Holds Sinquefield Cup Lead After Draw With Praggnanandhaa

Wesley So holds the sole lead at the 2026 Sinquefield Cup with 3.5 points after the latest round, maintaining his unbeaten run in the elite Grand Chess Tour event.

So, rated 2765, drew his game against R Praggnanandhaa, who is rated 2750. The half-point kept So ahead of a tightly packed chasing group, while Praggnanandhaa remained on 3 points.

Fabiano Caruana made significant progress by defeating Levon Aronian 1-0. The victory lifted the 2792-rated American to 3 points, just half a point behind So. Aronian, meanwhile, slipped to 2.5 points.

Vincent Keymer also secured a full point, beating Anish Giri 1-0. The German grandmaster, rated 2767, moved to 3 points, joining Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Praggnanandhaa in the group immediately behind the leader. Giri remains near the bottom with 1.5 points.

The other two games ended in draws. Javokhir Sindarov and Sam Sevian split the point, leaving Sindarov on 2 points and Sevian on 2.5 points. In the remaining game, Jorden van Foreest and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drew, with Vachier-Lagrave moving to 3 points and van Foreest staying on 1 point.

The standings remain highly competitive. So leads with 3.5 points, followed by Caruana, Vachier-Lagrave, Keymer and Praggnanandhaa, all on 3 points. Aronian and Sevian share 2.5 points, while Sindarov has 2, Giri 1.5 and van Foreest 1.

With only a half-point separating the leader from four players, the battle for the Sinquefield Cup title remains wide open.