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Chess Tournament Race Update

Saturday, May 9, 2026
5 min read
Chess Tournament Race Update

Seriously.

Pragg just couldn't find the rhythm. He came into that match with some momentum from an earlier win against Giri back in Round 1, but that magic just evaporated.

He was playing the Vienna variation with the black pieces. He managed to keep the early pressure off, looked fine, until it just fell apart.

Then the mistake. A costly blunder on move 35. It opened the door wide for Giri. And Giri didn't waste any time capitalizing. Another slip shortly after. That sealed Praggnanandhaa’s fate. Second loss for him in the tournament. He’s stuck on 3.5 points now.

Meanwhile, things were moving fast elsewhere. Javokhir Sindarov, though, he kept pulling away at the top. He played steadily. A draw against Andrey Esipenko. That moved him to 6.5 points. He’s now stretching that lead to two points over the pack. Six rounds left.

Sindarov looks firmly in control. This is the race that matters now. It’s determining who gets the shot at challenging the reigning world champion, D Gukesh .

Barring some kind of total collapse from the rest of the field, the race is basically his to lose now.

Giri’s win put him at 4.5 points. Level with Fabiano Caruana. But both are still two points shy of the leader. The tournament is entering its final stretch. They need something huge. A miracle, maybe. To close that gap.

Praggnanandhaa? He’s just caught in the middle.

Wei Yi and Bluebaum just settled for draws.

Over in the women’s section, R Vaishali managed to stay in the hunt.

Anna Muzychuk still looks like she’s holding onto that narrow lead. And Zhu Jiner seems poised. Ready to deliver a big blow in her clash against Tan Zhongyi.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

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