Overview
- Praggnanandhaa beat Javokhir Sindarov on Friday in round two, snapping the challenger’s 53-game unbeaten streak in classical chess that stretched back to the Grand Swiss in September 2025.
- The turning point came when Sindarov played 36.Re3, a rare calculation slip that commentator Peter Svidler flagged as his first clear mistake of this kind in a long time.
- After Saturday’s third round, a five-way tie for first formed as Praggnanandhaa drew a 64-move battle with Vincent Keymer and Sindarov took a quick 15-move draw against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave to steady himself.
- On Sunday in round four, Praggnanandhaa drew Jorden van Foreest to stay unbeaten, which left Vincent Keymer alone in the lead.
- Looking ahead to the Gukesh–Sindarov world championship, Praggnanandhaa said the match feels 50-50, signaling that recent results have tempered claims of a clear favorite.