Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa continued his solid run at the Superbet Classic, sharing points with French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the fifth round to remain in a three-way tie for the lead. The tournament, part of the Grand Chess Tour, had a quiet day overall. In the round-robin format, featuring 10 players, all five encounters ended in draws. World Champion D Gukesh, after a recent loss, managed to avoid another setback by holding Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Despite creating complex positions and sacrificing material in a bid to gain the upper hand, Gukesh needed a late error from Duda to escape with a draw after 43 moves. Levon Aronian, representing the USA, engaged in a fighting draw with French star Alireza Firouzja. Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Romania’s Bogdan-Daniel Deac also split points after a balanced battle. Meanwhile, American GM Fabiano Caruana remained at the top alongside Praggnanandhaa and Vachier-Lagrave after a marathon game against compatriot Wesley So, which also ended peacefully. Praggnanandhaa, playing with the white pieces, opted for a less common response to Vachier-Lagrave’s trusted …