Praggnanandhaa beats Sindarov in 95-move Sinquefield Cup marathon

St Louis: Chess can be a game of patience, and R Praggnanandhaa had plenty of it. The Indian grandmaster outlasted Javokhir Sindarov in a marathon 95-move battle in Round 2 of the 2026 Sinquefield Cup, securing his first win of the tournament.

The game stretched for around six hours, with neither player willing to give much away through a long rook-and-knight endgame. Praggnanandhaa kept the pressure on in a position that remained largely balanced, eventually forcing Sindarov into a decisive mistake late in the game.

The turning point came on move 82, when Sindarov’s error allowed Praggnanandhaa to seize the initiative. The Indian quickly converted the advantage and Sindarov resigned on move 95.

The victory is particularly significant given Sindarov’s status as the challenger to reigning world champion D Gukesh. The Uzbek grandmaster is scheduled to face Gukesh in the upcoming world championship match.

The win takes Praggnanandhaa to 1.5 points from two rounds, after he drew his opening game. He now shares the lead with Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

The result also extends what has been a strong run for the Indian grandmaster. Earlier this month, Praggnanandhaa won the St Louis Rapid & Blitz title, while in June he captured the Norway Chess crown after a late surge that included a victory over Magnus Carlsen.

With seven rounds still to play, the 20-year-old has put himself firmly among the contenders for the Sinquefield Cup title.

For now, though, the message from St Louis is simple: Pragg was willing to wait, and Sindarov eventually blinked.