Praggnanandhaa Takes Down World Championship Challenger Javokhir Sindarov

by Devansh Singh - 12/08/2026

R. Praggnanandhaa scored a big win against World Championship Challenger Javokhir Sindarov in the 2nd round of the Sinquefield Cup 2026. Praggnanandhaa was pressing in the Rook Knight endgame, and eventually Sindarov made a mistake, and Pragg won the 6-hour-long marathon game in 95 moves. There were 3 more decisive results where Aronian won against Vincent Keymer, MVL won against Sam Sevian, and Wesley So defeated Jorden van Foreest. The 3rd round will start on 12th August at 12 PM Local Time / 10:30 PM IST. Photos: Lennart Ootes

A Long Grind

The Game between Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov is a great example of endgame technique and how putting constant pressure can help you win games. After a lot of exchanges on move 46, the players entered the rook and Knight with 2 Pawns vs. Rook and Knight vs. 1 Pawn. On move 82, Sindarov made a blunder, and Pragg managed to seal the advantage and clinch the victory.

Pragg is now in joint 1st place with 1.5/2 points

The Instructive Endgame

I will try to break down the endgame between Pragg and Sindarov now...

Position 1

By the looks of it, the position looks equal, and the engine also seconds that. Black's idea is pretty simple: keep the king in front of those two pawns and keep his pawn defended

Position 2

White just played Nd2, and Black can try to play something like Re5 to trade the rooks. The knight endgame will be an easy draw

Position 3: The Blunder

Try to find the best move for white here

Editor's Note: When I was checking the game, I saw this move Ne3, which looks normal to me, and I was discussing with my friend why this move loses, and then we figured out the fantastic Idea white has up his sleeves.

The Idea is to play Nd4+, and now if the king moves away from the black pawn, white can simply play Nd2 attacking the rook and pawn on f4, and even if you defended it by rook, white can simply capture it because the knight on e3 is hanging.

And if the king moves closer to the pawn (that's what happened in the game), white can cut off the black's king and knight and start pushing his pawns freely.

What a game to witness

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave won against Sam Sevian

Wesley defeated Jorden van Foreest

Levon won against Vincent Keymer

Anish drew against Fabiano

Results

Standings

Replay Round 2 Games

Photo Gallery: GCT

About the 2026 Sinquefield Cup

The final regular-season stop and signature classical event of the Grand Chess Tour, the 2026 Sinquefield Cup returns to the Saint Louis Chess Club from August 8–21. Tournament play runs August 10–19, with ten elite grandmasters contesting nine rounds of classical chess and one last opportunity to earn Tour Points before the 2026 GCT Grand Finals.

The Field

Playing Field | Photo: Crystal Fuller / Saint Louis Chess Club

The current 10-player lineup features eight full-tour competitors: Fabiano Caruana, Javokhir Sindarov, Vincent Keymer, Wesley So, Anish Giri, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Jorden van Foreest, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. They are joined by wildcards Levon Aronian and Samuel Sevian.

Schedule

Prize Fund

The total prize fund is $475,000: a $350,000 base prize fund plus a $125,000 Decisive Games Bonus pool. The base first-place prize is $100,000, while the bonus pool is divided into equal shares based on the total number of decisive games, with one share awarded for each win.

How to Watch

Follow every round with professional commentary led by Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan on the Saint Louis Chess Club's YouTube channel and on Twitch. For spectators in Saint Louis, day passes include standing-room access to both the Sinquefield Cup and Cairns Cup playing halls, live Grandmaster commentary, and complimentary food, snacks, and beverages.

Format

The Sinquefield Cup is a 10-player, 9-round single round-robin classical tournament. The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one. Players receive 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.

Venue: Saint Louis Chess Club

The Saint Louis Chess Club stands as the premier global destination for competitive play, anchoring Saint Louis as the “Chess Capital of the United States.” This state-of-the-art facility features a world-class tournament hall designed to accommodate everyone from local enthusiasts to legendary Grandmasters. As a non-profit educational organization, the club serves as the prestigious home for all major U.S. Championship events as well as the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, the Sinquefield Cup, the Cairns Cup and more.