World Champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by the lone wild card, American Samuel Sevian, in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup. Sevian employed the Rossolimo Variation against Gukesh’s Sicilian Defence, but Gukesh was always in control.
While fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa also split the point with Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan. With his second draw in as many days, Praggnanadhaa remained in the leading group of three players that now includes Fabiano Caruana of the United States, besides the overnight co-leader, Armenian-turned-American Levon Aronian.
The day’s most notable game was Caruana’s positional win over Alireza Firouzja of France. After a sustained strategic push, he advanced his central passed pawn to the seventh rank, securing a well-earned victory. With the top four places in the Grand Chess Tour at stake ahead of the grand finale later this year, Caruana expressed satisfaction with his result.
For Gukesh, the first draw in the tournament was rather easy with black pieces. Samuel Sevian tried his hand at the Rosslimo variation against the Sicilian defence, but Gukesh was always in control. The middle game arrived and passed smoothly as both players exchanged pieces at regular intervals, leading to a drawn endgame.
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