Overview

• Fabiano Caruana tops the standings on 3/4 after four rounds, with Levon Aronian and R. Praggnanandhaa a half point behind.
• Caruana defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov with Black in round four, neutralizing queenside danger before counterattacking to convert.
• His round-three victory over Alireza Firouzja set up the surge, as coverage again flagged Firouzja’s time-management issues as a recurring weakness.
• All other round-four games were drawn, highlighted by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave missing a winning chance against World Champion D. Gukesh and an exchange-sac draw between Wesley So and Firouzja.
• Caruana underscored the result’s importance for Grand Chess Tour qualification, with the Sinquefield Cup serving as the final classical leg of the series in St. Louis from August 18–28.