Superbet Classic R8: Praggnanandhaa beats So, emerges sole leader

R Praggnanandhaa defeated Wesley So (USA) in Round 8 of Grand Chess Tour Superbet Chess Classic 2025. The Tata Steel 2025 winner, opted for the Benko Gambit. He managed to seize his opportunity when So went wrong in the major piece endgame. Praggnanandhaa is now the sole leader with a score 5/8. The only other win of the round was scored by the World Champion, D Gukesh. He scored his first win of the event against Levon Aronian (USA). Gukesh played boldly and moved his king to the center of the board and it paid off. Praggnanandhaa will face Aronian in the final round. A win makes him a clear champion whereas a draw might require him to Playoffs. Round 9 starts today at 2 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. IST. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Grand Chess Tour