Praggnanandhaa held by Esipenko, Sindarov surges ahead

PAPHOS (CYPRUS) APR 3 PRAGGNANANDHAA: the lone Indian in the fray, played out a draw with Andrey Esipenko, while Javokhir Sindarov maintained his winning momentum and defeated Hikaru Nakamura to retain a full-point lead after the fifth round of the Candidates Tournament here on Friday.

It turned out to be another dramatic day as Praggnanandhaa, who needed to win, opted for an unconventional opening not prescribed in the books. While the middlegame promised excitement, the Indian ace decided against taking any risks, and the game ended in a draw in just 31 moves via repetition.

Sindarov looks like a young man on a mission as he outclassed world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura to race to 4.5 points from the first five rounds. Fabiano Caruana of the United States is the only one within striking distance after defeating Matthias Bluebaum to move to 3.5 points.