Fabiano Caruana defeated R Praggnanandhaa in both of their games on day three of the Total Chess World Championship Tour pilot in Budapest, taking the outright lead in Group B and leaving the Indian grandmaster at the bottom of the standings.

The American, who became world number two with a classical rating of 2795.6, produced the standout performance of the day at the Anantara New York Palace Hotel, scoring the maximum six points from his two fast-classical games. Only the four group winners will advance to the knockout stage that decides the title in the 24-player event.

Two wins, two different stories

Caruana was the star of the show in Group B, winning both games against one of the most dangerous young players in world chess. Praggnanandhaa, the reigning Norway Chess champion, had no answer as Caruana controlled both encounters, and the American's performance rating for the day was a remarkable 3077.

The second game was particularly painful for the Indian. Praggnanandhaa was holding a slightly worse endgame but still in the fight before collapsing late on, allowing Caruana to complete the sweep. It was a harsh lesson in how quickly a position can fall apart against a player of Caruana's calibre, even when the material is almost level.

Caruana now leads Group B with 10 points, and he has established himself as the player to beat in the group. Praggnanandhaa, by contrast, finds himself in last place, and he faces a steep climb to recover with the group stage moving into its second half.

Praggnanandhaa left with work to do

The defeat continued a difficult tournament for Praggnanandhaa, who had drawn both of his games against Germany's Vincent Keymer on the previous day. He had arrived in Budapest as one of the favourites in a group that also features three of the world's top 10 players, but he is yet to win a game in the fast-classical stage.

The format gives each player 45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move, a time control that rewards deep preparation and punishes even small slips. Caruana, a former world championship challenger, has looked at home in the format, and his two wins over Praggnanandhaa were the clearest statement of intent from any player on day three.

There is still time for Praggnanandhaa to respond, with further rounds to come in the group stage, but the margin for error is now gone. Only first place in the group earns a place in the knockout bracket, and Caruana has opened a clear gap at the top.

Elsewhere on day three in Budapest

Hans Niemann was the other player to score a maximum six points on day three, winning both of his games against R Vaishali to move into a share of the lead in Group D alongside Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on eight points each. Bibisara Assaubayeva also caught the eye by upsetting Arjun Erigaisi.

World number one Magnus Carlsen remains without a win in the fast-classical stage. He drew with Abhimanyu Mishra in the first game of their mini-match, then survived a lost position in the second, holding on through an opposite-coloured bishop endgame after being two pawns down. Carlsen has now drawn all four of his games in the group stage and will be looking for his first victory when play continues on Friday.

The pilot event is testing a new format for the Total Chess World Championship Tour, with a blitz event held first to decide seedings and tiebreaks, followed by the fast-classical group stage and then knockout brackets. Carlsen won the opening blitz unbeaten, but it is Caruana who has made the early running where it matters most. Sources: Chess.com and Rook Review.