Praggnanandhaa rewarded extra time after opponent blunders in draw claim at Sinquefield Cup: 'Never seen this before'

Something very funny transpired in the match between India's R Praggnanandhaa and Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in their Round 3 match at the Sinquefield Cup 2025 on Wednesday, as the Uzbek claimed a draw even before completing the final move of the threefold repetition.

In chess, a threefold repetition means playing the same position on the board three times during a game. This can lead to a draw if either player claims it. However, what was different during Nodirbek vs Praggnanandhaa's match is that the Uzbek claimed a draw even before one move was still left to be made to claim a draw.

The arbiter, Chris Bird, was quick to explain to Nodirbek that he hadn't completed all the moves to claim a draw through a threefold repetition. The arbiter also added two minutes to Praggnanandhaa's clock. All of this led to Nodirbek and Praggnanandhaa sharing some rare laughs over the board.

"We have rules young man. And they state that for a wrongful draw claim, the opponent gets two minutes on their clock,” Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan said on commentary, explaining why the Indian chess player got an extra two minutes.

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Grandmaster Peter Svidler was baffled by what he had just witnessed.  “I have honestly never seen this happen before,” Svidler said.

The match did not go on for long as Praggnanandhaa, shortly after the blunder, claimed a draw by the threefold repetition.

“Nodirbek is giggling now, but he will feel as if he missed a very big chance today to win. He had a very nice position out of the opening, and in the early middle game, he was the only one with plans. Pragg was just poised. Like that saying, ‘one side is playing, the other side is watching,'” Svidler said on air as the match ended in a draw.

Praggnanandhaa continues to be in joint-lead in the Sinquefield Cup 2025 with two points after three rounds. He had defeated compatriot and world champion D Gukesh in the first round.

He, however, dropped to world No.4 position in live rating after his draw against Nodirbek, while Fabiano Caruana reclaimed the third spot by beating Alireza Firouzja.