Javokhir Sindarov defeated Vincent Keymer with the black pieces to secure his first win at the Sinquefield Cup, leveling with the German GM at 3½/7 and intensifying the race for a spot in the Grand Chess Tour Finals. Wesley So remains the sole leader with 4½/7, half a point ahead of Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, with two rounds of play remaining.
Fight for fourth spot in GCT Finals heats up
For the second consecutive round, one of the five games at the Sinquefield Cup ended decisively. Javokhir Sindarov defeated Vincent Keymer with the black pieces to register his first tournament victory, while the other four matches ended in draws.
After a 32-move draw with White against Anish Giri, Wesley So remains the sole leader. He now has 4½/7 points and holds a half-point lead over Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who are tied for second with 4/7.
Sindarov’s win added another layer of intrigue to the final two rounds. Keymer entered the Sinquefield Cup in fourth place in the overall Grand Chess Tour standings, which was the final qualifying position for the GCT Finals, just half a point ahead of Sindarov. Now both players are on 3½/7 in St. Louis, with Sindarov having a genuine chance to overtake Keymer if he finishes ahead of his German rival in the event.
Thus, the final two rounds will feature two parallel competitions: one for the Sinquefield Cup title and another for qualification to the Grand Chess Tour Finals.
Round 7 results
| Name | Rtg. | Nt. | Pts. | Pts. | Name | Rtg | Nt. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM | Caruana,F | 2792 |  | 3½ | ½-½ | 3½ | GM | Praggnanandhaa R | 2750 |  |
| GM | So,W | 2765 | | 4 | ½-½ | 2½ | GM | Giri,A | 2764 |  |
| GM | Aronian,L | 2721 | | 3 | ½-½ | 3½ | GM | Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2713 |  |
| GM | Keymer,V | 2767 |  | 3½ | 0-1 | 2½ | GM | Sindarov,J | 2777 |  |
| GM | Van Foreest,J | 2728 | | 1 | ½-½ | 3 | GM | Sevian,S | 2701 | |
Sam Sevian came closest to a win against Jorden van Foreest. Sevian achieved a favorable position in a complex queenless middlegame but missed the precise 29…Nb5, which would have preserved Black’s advantage.
Given the tour standings situation, Sindarov had strong incentive to play for a win against Keymer. With Black, he chose the Benko Gambit, steering the game toward an unbalanced position with considerable scope for active play.
The Uzbek grandmaster emerged in good shape early on, and his position was more promising initially. His 20…Be4?!, however, shifted the balance, allowing Keymer to take the initiative and gain a clear advantage.
Keymer failed to capitalize on that opportunity. Instead of maintaining pressure in the more complex position, he simplified to an endgame—a decision that made Sindarov’s task considerably easier. Sindarov, who also held a substantial advantage on the clock, correctly judged that he could steer toward a pure opposite-colored bishop ending.
Such endings are often associated with strong drawing tendencies, but the concrete characteristics of this position favored Black. Keymer, playing with nearly an hour less on the clock, failed to find the most resilient defensive setup, while Sindarov gradually improved his king and bishop.
By the time Sindarov played 54…Bg1, Black was in a completely winning position.
One particularly attractive winning idea even involved giving up the bishop, as the decisive factor was the route of the black king through d4 and c3. The king’s infiltration would have been sufficient to settle the game, despite the material sacrifice.
Keymer resigned shortly thereafter. This was his second loss in the tournament, balancing the two wins he had achieved so far in St. Louis. Meanwhile, Sindarov finally broke through after six rounds without a victory.
