Chess Candidates 2024 Highlights: Nepomniachtchi beats Vidit Gujrathi to take sole lead; Gukesh draws; Pragg loses

After his draw with Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa was asked what he planned to do on the rest day. “I’ll be resting,” he said, with a look of mild surprise at the thought that anyone could imagine that he would spend the additional day doing anything else.

At long events like the Candidates, rest days provide an opportunity to hunker down with the group of seconds and trainers, take stock, and recalibrate. Barring Humpy, none of the five Indians have played at the high-pressure Candidates event before.

For Humpy, Pragg, Gukesh and Vaishali, it’s the first time ever in Canada. But a rest day for most chess players is a chance to work harder and rest longer. Spend more time in the hotel room.

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Open:

1. Nepomniachtchi – 7 points

2-3. Gukesh, Nakamura – 6.5

4. Caruana – 6

5. Praggnanandhaa – 5.5

6. Vidit – 5

7. Firouzja – 3.5

8. Abasov – 3

Ian Nepomniachtchi’s game against Vidit Santosh Gujrathi was the last to finish today. Playing with the black pieces, Nepomniachtchi had a dubious position. 

Instead of the defending move 34. Kd3, which led to Black overtaking the initiative, White could have opted to play 34. h5! This would clear a pathway for the king to reach the f5 and g6 squares; White could also potentially push the pawn to h6. The h5-break was the first thing Vidit showed to Nepomniachtchi after the game finished, clearly disappointed that he did not go for it.  

Following this critical moment, the position was still balanced, but White made another grave mistake. Nepomniachtchi thought Vidit was in “sort of a panic,” in reference to 60. Nb2+. After that, the game was lost. This win is a very important result that finds Nepomniachtchi as the sole leader again on 7 points. 

In the game between Praggnanandhaa R and Hikaru Nakamura, the American player controlled the game solidly with Black before capitalising on his opponent’s mistakes and adding an important win to his scoresheet. Praggnanandhaa could have gone for a draw several times in the game. Instead, he always chose the more complex continuation and played on, which resulted in Nakamura’s position getting better and better. The American player was precise in converting his advantage, leaving no chances for counterplay for his opponent. 

(via FIDE)

Alireza Firouzja capitalised on Nijat Abasov’s blunder and won in just 24 moves. Black was doing fine in the Zukertort Opening, but on move 15, Abasov made a grave miscalculation. 

Instead of 15…e5, the move that cost Black the game, Abasov could have gone for 15…Qe6 and kept a balanced position. In the line that occurred in the game, Abasov missed that after 15…e5 16. Nc4 f6 17. Rd5, Black cannot play 17…Be6 because of 18. e4 Qg5 19. Be3 Bxd5 and White simply takes 20. exd5 trapping the black queen: 20…Qf5 21. Bg4 Qe4 22.f3. Abasov had to play 17…Rxd5, and the position collapsed for Black soon thereafter. 

(via FIDE)

Humpy Koneru defeated Nurgyul Salimova in a solid and straightforward game to come back to a 50% result. 

The results of Round 11 were extremely important for the tournament standings. Tan Zhongyi is now the sole leader on 7.5 points, closely trailed by Lei Tingjie on 7. Goryachkina, Koneru, and Lagno are the three players two points behind the leader – a gap that is almost impossible to close in three rounds. It is now clear that the race for first in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament will be between two Chinese players, Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie. 

“If one of us can become first and the crown will stay in China, for me it is a good thing for Chinese chess,” said Lei Tingjie. “Tan is leading, so now I have no pressure at all.” 

Women’s standings:

1. Tan – 7.5 

2. Lei – 7

3-5. Goryachkina, Humpy, Lagno  – 5.5 

6-7. Vaishali, A. Muzychuk – 4.5

8. Salimova – 4 

Vaishali R helped the Chinese duo by taking down pursuer Aleksandra Goryachkina in an intense battle of many mistakes. Vaishali surprised her opponent in the opening, gradually outplayed Goryachkina and could have sealed the deal on move 38.

38. Bd6 could have won the game for White, but Vaishali completely missed this move. As a result, her enormous advantage evaporated. However, she was still the only one playing for a win in this game, as White’s queen and knight were chasing the black king. At some point, the position repeated three times, but not consecutively, so Goryachkina was checking her scoresheet. In the end, she decided not to claim the repetition, as she was not entirely sure. “She was probably thinking that I will repeat again,” explained Vaishali after the game. But the young Indian player demonstrated a fighting mentality in this game, as she chose to continue playing with the hopes of finding more chances. She was duly rewarded in the queen and pawn endgame, where her experienced opponent finally blundered and had to resign. 

(via FIDE)

Lei Tingjie was playing bold and aggressive chess today against Anna Muzychuk. Lei sacrificed a piece with 19. Bxh6 for a kingside attack and was on the verge of winning. The path to victory was a difficult one, and after the game, Lei said that she had not considered the right continuation. 

She should have played 22. Kh2 – a tricky move. The point is that after a logical continuation like 22…f6, White can play on the other side of the board with 23. b3. After 23…axb3 24. axb3 Qxb3 25. Rxa8 Rxa8, White can play 26. Nh4, and Black does not have the opportunity to defend with Rd7 resulting in White having a winning position. 

Lei did not find this difficult path and instead, went for a messy position with 22. Nxe5, hoping for a perpetual check. The tables then turned, with Black having a winning position objectively, but now it was Anna Muzychuk who missed her chance; Lei found the perpetual check she had sought after, and the game ended in a draw. After the game, Lei said she was lucky to escape. 

(via FIDE)

In the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Tan Zhongyi won an important game against Kateryna Lagno. With Lagno low on time, Tan chose to play in a risky and aggressive manner, giving her opponent an amazing chance for a win. 

27…f4! would have cleared the way for the black queen to land on g4 (after Bxe5) or h3, and Black’s assault on the white king could have cost White a point. Unfortunately, Lagno missed this possibility and soon found herself in a lost position.

After his draw with Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa was asked what he planned to do on the rest day. “I’ll be resting,” he said, with a look of mild surprise at the thought that anyone could imagine that he would spend the additional day doing anything else.

At long events like the Candidates, rest days provide an opportunity to hunker down with the group of seconds and trainers, take stock, and recalibrate. Barring Humpy, none of the five Indians have played at the high-pressure Candidates event before.

For Humpy, Pragg, Gukesh and Vaishali, it’s the first time ever in Canada. But a rest day for most chess players is a chance to work harder and rest longer. Spend more time in the hotel room.

READ MORE

Photos from one of the most decisive moments in the Candidates chess tournament 2024. Vidit's chances of winning the Candidates are purely mathematical now after defeating Vidit Gujrathi in a marathon contest that lasted more than 5 hours. Nepo takes the sole lead, thanks to the win, with just three more games remaining. 

(PHOTOS via FIDE/Michal Walusza)

In 2013, right after Magnus Carlsen won the Candidates tournament in London, a photograph by Norwegian photographer Morten Rakke went viral. In it, the grandmaster is captured behind a door, slumped on the handrail of a staircase, shirt untucked, his face buried into his arm. 

Barely had the world championship challenger caught his breath after qualifying for the world championship, he was interviewed by International Master Lawrence Trent, who asked him how he planned to celebrate his victory. Carlsen’s answer was revealing. “My thoughts have not gone further than getting back to my hotel and lying down. That’s what’s next for me.”

Trent prodded him further, asking if he was more exhausted physically or emotionally. “It’s a lethal combination right now,” offered Carlsen. 

That was probably the last time the world has seen Carlsen exhausted by the rigours of elite chess. In the decade that has followed, Carlsen scythed his way through the world of chess, racking up five crowns after battling through five World Championship jousts, before eventually abdicating his throne. 

A case can be made that the World Championship battle is more forgiving than the Candidates. If you err, you come back with redrawn battle plans and take on the same opponent once more. At the Candidates, though, one loss can suddenly become a slippery slope to the bottom of the standings. 

There are a handful of players like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura, Vidit Gujrathi and Magnus Carlsen who produce gripping theatre which is rare in the impassive art form that is chess. These players tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves when they compete, bleeding emotions as they play.

READ OUR PIECE ON BODY LANGUAGE IN CHESS

Nepo has just planted himself on the stage and is watching the screens. He's clearly still coming to terms with this result and what it means. 

Scene A: Vidit realises he's about to lose

Scene B: The handshake where Vidit cannot even bear to look at Nepo, who he was up a pawn against at one point  

Scene C: Both players are exhausted by the battle, which went on for 5.30 hours 

Scene D: Nepo realises that's he's now sole leader as the the emotions wash over him 

Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Vidit Gujrathi in a marathon contest to leap into sole lead after Round 11 of the Candidates 2024 chess tournament. 

In two successive moves, Nepo went from being one pawn up over Vidit Gujrathi to being a pawn down. He has just two of the footsoldiers left on the board. Vidit now needs to convert his position into a victory. If he does, his compatriot Gukesh will be as happy as Vidit himself. 

In the Vaishali Rameshbabu versus Aleksandra Goryachkina game, the Indian has a distinct advantage, which is made better after the Russian moves her pawn to d4 and Vaishali's eyes widen for a brief second. And the engline suggests she holds an advantage.

Vaishali finds the right move with queen to e5. 

Goryachkina is the top seed and one of the more prolific players in the tournament. WHAT A TURNAROUND THIS IS FROM VAISHALI!!!! 

And both players are in no mood to relent. It's getting into a tricky endgame. A very sharp game at hand. Nepo has an additional pawn on the board and his king is more mobile at the moment. He also has five more minutes on the clock compared to Vidit, but since we have crossed 40 moves, players are getting increments after each move. Nepo pushing Vidit.

If Nepo wins agianst Vidit, he leapfrogs into sole lead with Gukesh half a point behind. 

Here's what the board looks like after 50 moves. 

"I had a slightly worse position throughout the game, so I cannot really be upset with the draw (against Gukesh)," says Caruana in the fan zone of the Candidates chess tournament. "The main thing was that if I lose then I am pretty much completely out of it (the race to win the Candidates). Depending on the other results, a draw can be reasonable. I still have two games with white in the last three games against Vidit and against Nepo. Playing with black against Pragg can be huge fight as well because he's also in a position where he has to catch up. It;s not a bad result, the main thing was not to lose. I cannot say I'm disappointed since I didn't really get any winning chances."  

Despite playing with black pieces, Hikaru Nakamura manages to defeat 18-year-old Pragg.in 54 moves! Here's the final position on the board: 

Alireza Firouzja's father had said in an interview during the Round 10 that his son had told him after the shoe controversy that he wanted to quit chess. 

But today, he clears the air on that and says he's not going to quit chess.

"In my streams, if you watch my blitz (games), also a thousand times I've said it. It's a saying. It's a tough event, of course...but it's a good experience, I mean, you learn," he tells Chess24.

What happened in Alireza Firouzja vs Ian Nepomniachtchi game?

Nepo was in trouble during the game against Alireza in Round 9 at the Candidates, but escaped with a draw. The result kept him in the joint lead along with Gukesh after nine rounds.

After the game had ended, Alireza posted a series of tweets, slamming the chief arbiter.

“Shameful action by the chief arbiter Marghetis towards me during the game. Middle of the game in the most intense moment when I was walking during Ian’s move, chief aribiter came to me and told me to not walk anymore because my shoe is making noise on the wooden floor. He told me to not walk and bring new shoes for tomorrow but I have the formal shoe that is approved and am wearing it for more than 1 year. This was a big distraction for me during the game and I completely lost my focus. I told one of the organiser this arbiter needs to be punished,” Alireza had tweeted.

Here's what the board looks like. The eval bar thinks Pragg is losing this game. 

The game between Vidit and Nepo is on an edge. The Indian has barely about four mintues on the clock, Nepo has about 8 minutes. 

They both have two more mvoes to make to make the time control. Here's a look at the board: 

The two players have agreed to a draw after a perpetual. This result keeps Gukesh ahead of Caruana and we'll now have to see what happens in the Vidit vs Nepo game to see if Gukesh is overtaken or joined at the top by the end of the day. 

Gukesh has nine minutes to make his next 10 moves before he gets his next top up of time. But the Indian has no threats on the board at the moment. Here's what the board looks like: 

Six players, one point apart, four more games each, playing for one position that matters — finishing atop the FIDE Candidates 2024.

Over the next five days, Ian Nepomniachtchi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Vidit Gujrathi — will play four of the most decisive games of their careers as they race towards the top spot of the double round robin event featuring eight players where finishing first gives the right to challenge the World Champion.

It’s a tournament where pressure comes in many forms, not just from the opponent across the board.

The three first timers from India will also be aware that no Indian has been world champion in just over a decade. All three of them were given low odds to succeed in the tournament.

READ MORE

In the Vidit Santosh Gujrathi vs Ian Nepomniachtchi game, the Russian has an additional pawn on the board *and* has twice as much time on the clock as compared to Vidit. Nepo has 30 minutes to Vidit's 15. 

Playing with white, Vaishali is down to 10 minutes on the clock. But she has Aleksandra Goryachkina under pressure. Th eval shows that the Indian has a winning position. 

Here's how the game developed so far: 

THe 17-year-old has just 22 minutes left on the clock and he has 23 moves in the book so far. Which means he has to make 17 more moves in that time.

The French GM has defeated Nijat abasov in 24 moves!!!!

Incredible game from the man who has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. 

Here's how the game played out: 

Qualified for Candidates by: Finishing 2nd at 2023 World Cup 

Rating: 2747

Ranking: World No 14

One fact you need to know: The 18-year-old Pragg became the world’s youngest player to reach the Chess World Cup final, where he qualified for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. On his way, he defeated the likes of Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, both of whom are at the Candidates, besides defeating good friend and current India No 1, Arjun Erigaisi.

Qualified for Candidates by: Finishing 1st at 2023 Grand Swiss 

Rating: 2727

Ranking: World No 25

One fact you need to know: The 29-year-old Vidit, who is competing in his first Candidates event, worked with grandmaster Anish Giri at a training camp in the past as the Dutch player prepared for the Candidates tournament himself. 

Qualified for Candidates as: 2023 FIDE Circuit Winner

Rating: 2743

Ranking: World No 16

One fact you need to know: The 17-year-old Gukesh is the second youngest participant in the Candidates in history, after Bobby Fischer. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 7 months and 17 days in January 2019, thus becoming the second youngest GM ever. Over the years, Gukesh has strung together many firsts. He became the youngest player to surpass a rating of 2750+, and became the first Indian to overhaul the five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as India's top-ranked player in the FIDE's published rankings after 36 years. 

In 2013, right after Magnus Carlsen won the Candidates tournament in London, a photograph by Norwegian photographer Morten Rakke went viral. In it, the grandmaster is captured behind a door, slumped on the handrail of a staircase, shirt untucked, his face buried into his arm. 

Barely had the world championship challenger caught his breath after qualifying for the world championship, he was interviewed by International Master Lawrence Trent, who asked him how he planned to celebrate his victory. Carlsen’s answer was revealing. “My thoughts have not gone further than getting back to my hotel and lying down. That’s what’s next for me.”

 Trent prodded him further, asking if he was more exhausted physically or emotionally. “It’s a lethal combination right now,” offered Carlsen. 

 That was probably the last time the world has seen Carlsen exhausted by the rigours of elite chess. In the decade that has followed, Carlsen scythed his way through the world of chess, racking up five crowns after battling through five World Championship jousts, before eventually abdicating his throne. 

 A case can be made that the World Championship battle is more forgiving than the Candidates. If you err, you come back with redrawn battle plans and take on the same opponent once more. At the Candidates, though, one loss can suddenly become a slippery slope to the bottom of the standings. 

Both players have chosen to castle short! Gukesh is really down on time now, despite him playing with white. He has 30 minutes less on the clock as compared to Fabi. 

Both queens are standing there facing each other, guns drawn waiting for the other to shoot first. Why? Because whoever claims the other's queen first, loses their own queen anyway, but will allow the opponent the change to develop their knight with tempo! And even though Vidit is much aghead on time, and it;s Nepo's move, the Russian is away from the board while the Indian is hanging about contemplating his move or remembering his prep.

Vidit has almost 15 more minutes on the clock as compared to his more experienced opponent! When was the last time we could say that in this tournament?!?

Over the next five days, Ian Nepomniachtchi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Vidit Gujrathi — will play four of the most decisive games of their careers as they race towards the top spot of the double round robin event featuring eight players where finishing first gives the right to challenge the World Champion.

It’s a tournament where pressure comes in many forms, not just from the opponent across the board.

The three first timers from India will also be aware that no Indian has been world champion in just over a decade. All three of them were given low odds to succeed in the tournament.

READ MORE

So we have a fascinating position on the board where four pawns are face to face in the middle of the board with Hikaru choosing ot advance his pawn to c5. And he knows Pragg will take some thin to figure out his next move, so he gets up and takes a walk. He returns and sips his coffee calmly while waiting his opponent to figure out what to do next. 

Here's what the board looks like: