Why Javokhir Sindarov vs Praggnanandhaa is the rivalry that defines this era just as much as Gukesh vs Nodirbek

Understandably, for Sindarov, facing Pragg is always a game to look out for. That’s why on the happiest day of his fledgling career, after he had won the FIDE World Cup in Goa last year to secure a spot in the Candidates, when he was asked if there was a particular opponent he was looking forward to facing in Cyprus, the grinning Uzbek had hand-picked Praggnanandhaa.

“I played him for the first time back in 2013. Even at that age — I was just seven — I knew he would become one of the top players in the world…” said Sindarov, “…because he beat me.”

Sindarov had gone on to predict a couple of “very interesting matches” against Pragg at the Candidates in Cyprus. The Uzbek prodigy has more than delivered on that prediction, beating the Indian twice now in their two head-to-head battles at this edition of the Candidates tournament.

R Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov in action. (FILE photo)

The defeat on Thursday for Pragg more or less confirms that the Indian cannot win the tournament any more since he is now four points behind the Uzbek prodigy with four rounds to go. The Indian is in seventh spot in the standings. Meanwhile, with eight points, Sindarov now leads the event with a two-point gap over Anish Giri. Thursday’s win also handed the Uzbek grandmaster the record for the most victories at the Candidates in the current format of the tournament — and that too with four rounds to spare.

Pragg had come into the tournament with an imposing head-to-head record against Sindarov in classical chess. In 10 classical games, Pragg had won four times while Sindarov claimed a single victory. That record has been upended by the Uzbek in Cyprus after winning both games against the Indian.

The rivalry between the two mirrors the one between world champion Gukesh and Uzbekistan’s top grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov.

The latest installment of Pragg vs Sindarov shifted on move 22 when Pragg played bishop to d7 — a move the engine flagged as a blunder. At that stage, the Indian had an extra bishop on the board as opposed to Sindarov’s two additional pawns. Two moves later, Sindarov sacrificed his queen to pick off both of Praggnanandhaa’s rooks. This material imbalance — Pragg’s two rooks against Sindarov’s queen — stayed the same till the game ended on the 53rd move.

R Praggnanandhaa in action. (FILE photo)

Sindarov has seemed content to play out draws in the second half of the tournament, a trait highlighted by his decision not to go for the kill in the 9th round against Matthias Bluebaum. But against Pragg, he opted to chase victory — and it arrived.

“Pragg’s score at the tournament has been very poor reward for his play. His play has been quite good. He’s come up with some good ideas, but essentially he’s lost three games since that first victory,” said five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in the FIDE commentary.

In a chat with The Indian Express during the World Cup in Goa last year, Sindarov had pointed out how his CV would have looked a lot different without Pragg.

“He beat me in a lot of age group tournaments. If he wasn’t around at that stage, I would have won a minimum of two cadets tournaments,” Sindarov had chuckled good-naturedly.

As Sindarov recollected, back in 2013, he was on a hot streak, going six out of six at a cadets championship. So was Praggnanandhaa. Then Pragg beat Sindarov — and it started a run of losses for the Uzbek.

Now 13 years later, at the Candidates, the defeat to Sindarov in round 3 was the start of Pragg’s event coming unstuck. The latest chapter of the Pragg-Sindarov rivalry may have favoured the boy from Uzbekistan, but both 20-year-olds have many more battles left on the board.