Sinquefield Cup: Firouzja secures GCT victory, keeps 1-point lead
28.08.2024 17:37 | NewsA round of draws in Saint Louis allowed Alireza Firouzja to keep his 1-point lead over Fabiano Caruana going into the final day of action at the Sinquefield Cup. These results also granted Firouzja victory in the Grand Chess Tour .
Five draws
Out of the 5 games played in the penultimate round of the Sinquefield Cup, 3 featured draws lasting fewer than 30 moves. The remaining 2 encounters also finished drawn, though Wesley So vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave lasted 48 moves and Ian Nepomniachtchi vs. Alireza Firouzja lasted 80 moves. In both cases, the evaluation remained close to equal throughout.
The round of draws kept the status quo in the standings - that is, Firouzja still has a 1-point lead over Fabiano Caruana in the standings. The Iranian-born grandmaster thus only needs a draw in his Wednesday game with White against R. Praggnanandhaa to win the single round-robin. If Pragg manages a win, Caruana would need to beat Anish Giri (also with White) to catch Firouzja in the final standings and set up a rapid playoff.
These results also granted Firouzja overall victory in the Grand Chess Tour series, as he will at least finish tied for first place, and that is enough to outscore second-placed Caruana in the yearly standings. Firouzja and Caruana are the two latest winners of the Tour, and both players grabbed the title after obtaining back-to-back victories in the Saint Louis events - that is, if Firouzja wins the Sinquefield Cup, we will see the winner of the GCT ending the series with consecutive tournament victories for a third year in a row.
Out of the 10 Sinquefield Cup participants, 8 will be playing in the upcoming Chess Olympiad. Only Nepomniachtchi, who has not transferred from the Russian Chess Federation (which is banned from participating in official team events), and Firouzja will be missing.
Round 8 results
| Name | Rating | Points | Points | Name | Rating | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM Nepomniachtchi, I | 2767 | 3 | ½-½ | 5 | GM Firouzja, A | 2751 |
| GM Praggnanandhaa R | 2749 | 3½ | ½-½ | 4 | GM Caruana, F | 2793 |
| GM So, W | 2751 | 3½ | ½-½ | 3½ | GM Vachier-Lagrave, M | 2721 |
| GM Ding, L | 2745 | 3 | ½-½ | 3½ | GM Abdusattorov, N | 2762 |
| GM Giri, A | 2746 | 2½ | ½-½ | 3½ | GM Gukesh D | 2766 |
Out of a Four Knights Opening in which the players entered a line akin to the Scotch Opening, Firouzja did not shy away from going for the initiative with an exchange sacrifice on move 15.
Nepomniachtchi vs. Firouzja
The 15...Rxe3 sacrifice is often seen in these structures, as Black attempts to gain the initiative on the dark squares while making the most of his bishop pair.
Nepo was excellently prepared, though, and continued to blitz out his moves while dealing with his opponent's threats. He eventually gave back the exchange to enter a line that led to simplifications, leaving him in a favorable endgame.
This was followed by 23.Nxg6 hxg6 24.Bxf7+ Kh7 25.Qc3 Qg3 26.Rf1 Nd5 27.Bxd5 Rxd5, reaching a major-piece endgame in which White is a pawn up.
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Black's active pieces granted him enough compensation in this endgame. Nepo kept looking for chances until move 80, when a draw by threefold repetition was finally agreed.
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Standings after round 8
| Rank | Name | Rating | Points | Performance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Firouzja, A | 2751 | 5.5 | 8 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 2 | GM Caruana, F | 2793 | 4.5 | 8 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 |
| 3 | GM Vachier-Lagrave, M | 2721 | 4.0 | 8 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 4 | GM Gukesh D | 2766 | 4.0 | 8 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 5 | GM Abdusattorov, N | 2762 | 4.0 | 8 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 6 | GM So, W | 2751 | 4.0 | 8 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 |
| 7 | GM Praggnanandhaa R | 2749 | 4.0 | 8 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 8 | GM Nepomniachtchi, I | 2767 | 3.5 | 8 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ |
| 9 | GM Ding, L | 2745 | 3.5 | 8 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
| 10 | GM Giri, A | 2746 | 3.0 | 8 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
The 2024 Sinquefield Cup is the last leg and final classical event of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour. Ten players compete in a classical single round-robin for their share of a $350,000 prize fund.