Undefeated Firouzja Wins Sinquefield Cup And $100k Prize
GM Alireza Firouzja was crowned as the winner of the 2024 Sinquefield Cup and the Grand Chess Tour on Wednesday after securing a draw with GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and finishing on 6/9. Following his round-one defeat to the winner, GM Fabiano Caruana clawed his way back into second place, capping off the event with a clean win over GM Anish Giri.
The world champion and his most recent challenger, GMs Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi, were felled by GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, respectively.
Round 9 Results
| White | Black | |
| Firouzja | 1/2-1/2 | Praggnanandhaa |
| Caruana | 1-0 | Giri |
| Vachier-Lagrave | 1-0 | Ding |
| Abdusattorov | 1-0 | Nepomniachtchi |
| Gukesh | 1/2-1/2 | So |
Final Standings/Prize Money
| Rank | Fed | Name | Score | Prize |
| 1 | Alireza Firouzja | 6 | $100,000 | |
| 2 | Fabiano Caruana | 5.5 | $65,000 | |
| T-3 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 5 | $40,000 | |
| T-3 | Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | 5 | $40,000 | |
| T-5 | Wesley So | 4.5 | $21,833 | |
| T-5 | Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa | 4.5 | $21,833 | |
| T-5 | Gukesh Dommaraju | 4.5 | $21,833 | |
| T-8 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 3.5 | $14,500 | |
| T-8 | Ding Liren | 3.5 | $14,500 | |
| 10 | Anish Giri | 3 | $10,500 |
Firouzja 1/2-1/2 Praggnanandhaa
Safety was the top priority for Firouzja in round nine as he sought to capture the coveted Sinquefield Cup, and with Caruana breathing down his neck this was a sensible strategy.
The French Defense: MacCutcheon Variation was the opening played in Firouzja-Praggnanandhaa and the game became a victory lap for the world number-five after he fashioned a queen trade on move 20. The French representative did need to weather one brilliancy though, 25...Rb8!!, before his opponent was willing to accept a draw.
A tumultuous 2023 saw Firouzja slide from 2785 to 2737 and many assumed his foray into the fashion industry was to blame but the 21-year-old has bucked the nay-sayers and joined an illustrious group of five GMs that have won the Sinquefield Cup two or more times.
After a traditional photoshoot out the front of the World Chess Hall of Fame, Firouzja jumped on Twitter and posted a photo with a simple caption: "Sometimes I scare myself."
Sometimes I scare myself pic.twitter.com/ket5iC9Sev
— Alireza Firouzja (@AlirezaFirouzja) August 28, 2024
For his efforts, Firouzja will receive a hefty $100,000 first prize which brings his total winnings in the 2024 Grand Chess Tour to $323,750. Speaking to commentator and GM Cristian Chirila, Firouzja spoke of how happy he was to win the Tour, which he dubbed the "most difficult" prize in chess, for a second time.
Caruana 1-0 Giri
If there is one player who knows how to play for a win in St. Louis it is Caruana and he hoped to invoke his 2014 self in an attempt to catch Firouzja should he falter. Caruana played the rare 6.d3 in the English Opening: Neo Catalan Defense Declined and found all the right moves to take down Giri, who scored a lackluster 3/9 in the event.
Our Game of the Day, which had instructive moments for players of all levels, is analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below.
Vachier-Lagrave 1-0 Ding
Tucked away in the corner of the St. Louis Chess Club's playing hall were Vachier-Lagrave and Ding, the former of whom spent four hours comprehensively outplaying the world champion from the white side of a Ruy Lopez.
At the end of this tournament, Ding could have used a confidence boost but when he played the unsightly 20...Kf8?, it became clear that Ding is yet to find his groove.
MVL breaks his record-setting 25-game drawing streak with a win against World Champion Ding Liren! https://t.co/jsetbbvs6u pic.twitter.com/0ebU1JlA4K
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 28, 2024
Abdusattorov 1-0 Nepomniachtchi
A round-three loss to Caruana practically squashed Abdusattorov's hopes of winning the 2024 Sinquefield Cup however the world number-six responded robustly, picking up wins in rounds seven and nine and securing equal third.
Playing from the white side of the Slav Defense: Modern, Quiet Variation against Nepomniachtchi, Abdusattorov feigned weakness in his kingside pawn structure and goaded Black into snatching his h-pawn.
Clearly on tilt, Nepomniachtchi rushed through the game and eventually threw in the towel on move 27 with more than an hour left on the clock.
Abdusattorov's finish bodes well for Uzbekistan heading into the 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad, where he will play board one for his country as they vie to defend their title. Only five countries have successfully achieved this: Hungary, the USA, the Soviet Union, Russia, and Armenia (most recently in 2006 and 2008).
Gukesh 1/2-1/2 So
GM Gukesh Dommaraju has built a reputation for having maturity beyond his years and bookmakers and pundits have indicated he is the heavy favorite heading into his world championship clash with an out-of-sorts Ding. However, nine draws in the Sinquefield Cup Gukesh begs the question, is the pressure affecting him?
In his final round against GM Wesley So, Gukesh showed signs of good form and was the picture of solidity, a requisite quality for a successful world championship campaign.
Speaking to the Indian Express on the eve of round nine, Giri made the following statement about the Indian superstar: "Gukesh has been looking, for many months now, extremely tense and extremely focused. Hyper-focused! I was reaching that stage as a kid at some point as well. But I felt that this hyper-focus is too much."
#Chess #AnishGiri #SinquefieldCup
— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) August 28, 2024
Chess World Championship: Gukesh looks tense but hyper-focused, Ding Liren nervous, says Grandmaster Anish Giri in an interaction with @jestalt https://t.co/tgeXr1uYSx
Only time will tell whether Gukesh will achieve the goal he set at the age of 11 which was not just to become the world champion but to become "the youngest world champion."
Grand Chess Tour Standings
Final standings of the #SinquefieldCup and the #GrandChessTour! pic.twitter.com/DhXJD5Rvfz
— Grand Chess Tour (@GrandChessTour) August 28, 2024
How to review?
You can review the round's broadcast on the Saint Louis Chess Club YouTube or Twitch channels. The games can also be reviewed from our dedicated 2024 Sinquefield Cup events page.
The broadcast was hosted by GMs Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, Cristian Chirila, and IM Nazi Paikidze.
The 2024 Sinquefield Cup is the last leg and final classical event of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour. Ten players compete in a classical single round-robin for their share of a $350,000 prize fund.
Previous Coverage
- Round 8: Firouzja Clinches Grand Chess Tour, Eyes Sinquefield Cup
- Round 7: Firouzja Beats World Champion, Grows Lead to Full Point
- Round 6: Nepomniachtchi Blunders vs. Dragon, Caruana Chases Firouzja
- Round 5: Firouzja Leads Alone Again, Pushes Giri Out Of Top 20
- Round 4: Wesley So Joins Lead, Firouzja Has 9 Lives
- Round 3: Nepomniachtchi Catches Firouzja In Lead, Firouzja Escapes Vs. Vachier-Lagrave
- Round 2: Challengers Fight, Firouzja Keeps Lead
- Round 1: Firouzja Bests Caruana, Gains Sole Lead
- A Taste of Gukesh vs. Ding at the Grand Chess Tour Finale
