Chess Candidates 2024 Highlights: 17-year-old Gukesh wins after 6-hour marathon to rise to top of standings

Standings | After Round 5 | Women's #FIDECandidates

?? Tan Zhongyi continues to keep the sole lead with a score of 3.5 points. pic.twitter.com/OCccxTsJmx

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 10, 2024

The 17-year-old Gukesh managed to defeat Nijat Abasov after a 87-move, six-hour marathon battle against Nijat Abasov! Gukesh is now the joint leader in the Open standings along with two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Incredible result on a day where two of his compatriots Vidit Gujrathi (versus Fabiano Caruana) and Praggnanandhaa (vs Ian #Nepomniachtchi) let slip their advantage and had to settle for a draw. 

Gukesh is not only the youngest player in the current Candidates field, but also the second youngest player *EVER* to compete in the prestigious tournament. The youngest player ever at the Candidates?  The legendary Bobby Fischer!!!!

Quick recap of how the six-hour-long marathon game between Gukesh and Nijat Abasov unfolded

Quick recap of how the Vidit Santosh Gujrathi vs Fabiano Caruana game played out 

Quick recap of how the Praggnanandhaa vs Ian Nepomniachtchi game played out 

Quick recap of how the Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Anna Muzychuk game played out 

Quick recap of how the Humpy Koneru vs Aleksandra Goryachkina game played out 

deleting_message

Magnus Carlsen after winning that rollercoaster Candidates tournament in April 2013 in London, photographed by Morten Rakke. pic.twitter.com/fCyrL95WDu

— Olimpiu Di Luppi (@olimpiuurcan) June 17, 2022

Before the Candidates began, world no 1 had spoken to Chess.com analysing players in the open section and rating them.

Carlsen had picked Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana as the co-favourites to win the Candidates; 'I don't think Pragg is ready to win the tournament," Carlsen said.

Ahead of the biggest chess event of 2024, here's what Carlsen said about all the eight Candidates contenders. 

Here’s a look at what the world no.1 has said about the Candidates’ chances:

READ MORE 

Open:

Gukesh - Nakamura

Vidit - Firouzja

Praggnanandhaa - Abasov

Nepomniachtchi - Caruana
 

Women’s:

Vaishali - Lagno

Koneru - Lei

Tan – A. Muzychuk

Salimova - Goryachkina

Lei Tingjie drew with Kateryna Lagno

Vaishali Rameshbabu drew with Anna Muzychuk

Humpy Koneru drew with Aleksandra Goryachkina

Tan Zhongyi drew with Nurgyul Salimova

Alireza Firouzja lost to Hikaru Nakamura

Gukesh D defeated Nijat Abasov

Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew with Fabiano Caruana

Praggnanandhaa R drew with Ian Nepomniachtchi

The open Candidates event saw the following match ups in Round 5: Alireza Firouzja vs Hikaru Nakamura, Gukesh D vs Nijat Abasov, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi vs Fabiano Caruana and Praggnanandhaa R and Ian Nepomniachtchi.

The game featuring the tournament leader, Ian Nepomniachtchi, came dangerously close to the edge for Nepomniachtchi, but he managed not to fall off the cliff against young Praggnanandhaa. The Indian prodigy came well prepared in the Petrov Defence, deviating from well-known paths with 16. Bh3. Praggnanandhaa, playing with White, sacrificed two pawns for a kingside attack, following a knight sacrifice on f7 on move 21. At the post-game press conference, Praggnanandhaa pointed out that Nepomniachtchi could have returned the piece by 23…Bxh2, followed by 24…Nc5, providing Black with solid chances for a draw. However, Ian wanted to shelter his king as soon as possible. After the dust settled on move 25, both players had equal material, but White had much stronger centralised pieces. However, Praggnanandhaa did not manage to keep the pressure on Nepomniachtchi and gave his advantage away by exchanging the queens. In the endgame, Nepomniachtchi, having survived the onslaught, defended well, with the game finally ending in a draw. 

A similar scenario happened in the game between Vidit and Fabiano Caruana; in fact, Caruana was just a couple moves away from resigning! Vidit, playing with White, came well prepared in the Nezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack and got a comfortable advantage. He was steadily building up his lead and was comfortably pressing when Caruana made a grave mistake with 22…e5, completely missing White’s crushing reply 23. Qg3. After that, Black was losing. Vidit confessed that he saw the right continuation, which was running with his king and playing Kc1 or Kc2 on move 26, but thought that playing 26. Qe5 would also bring him victory. He missed the important defending resource 26...Qa4 and had to settle for a draw – a clearly disappointing result for the massive Indian fans. 

Our remaining two games looked like they were headed towards draws. Unfortunately for Frenchman Alireza Firouzja, the ever-popular Hikaru Nakamura found an amazing trick. Hikaru called his choice a gamble which worked out perfectly, as Firouzja failed to find the right defence and had to resign. In fact, the change in the evaluation bar was so sudden that many journalists and spectators could not believe their eyes when the result appeared in the broadcast.

"I remembered this game, between Magnus and Alireza in Norway Chess, where the game was a draw most of the way. But Alireza was very nervous and shaking, and Magnus managed to win this." said Nakamura. "Not to sound too cocky, but I felt a little bit like Magnus here."

In the final game, Gukesh D got an edge with White out of the Russian Game against Nijat Abasov. Controlling the e-file with his heavy pieces, the Indian player was pressing and eventually obtained a position where he was up a pawn in a queen endgame. The game was objectively drawn, and for a long time, Abasov managed to keep it level. However, from a practical standpoint, it is very difficult to hold such an endgame, and Abasov eventually erred. Gukesh immediately capitalised on his mistake and now joins Ian Nepomniachtchi in the lead with his second win of the tournament.

All the games in the FIDE Women’s Candidates -- Lei Tingjie vs Kateryna Lagno, Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Anna Muzychuk, Humpy Koneru vs Aleksandra Goryachkina and Tan Zhongyi vs Nurgyul Salimova -- finished in a draw.

Tan Zhongyi, the tournament leader from China, had an extra pawn against Nurgyul Salimova, the youngest player in the eight-woman field. The loss of material was compensated by greater piece activity and a better pawn structure for black. The players exchanged off the pieces and a draw was quickly agreed upon soon after, when the game reached an equal endgame.

“I feel like I don't have a huge lead right now because I am only half a point in front of Goryachkina,” said Tan Zhongyi after the game. “I need to be careful because everything can change in two games.”

Humpy Koneru’s game against Aleksandra Goryachkina was a quiet solid one in the Queen’s Gambit Declined. The players rapidly reached an endgame which never deviated from an equal evaluation. 

Vaishali, playing against Anna Muzychuk, also reached an endgame as early as move 22. The position closed completely soon after and the players agreed to a draw. 

The only game today that was close to being decisive was Lei Tingjie versus Kateryna Lagno. The game initially looked promising for the Chinese player. Despite being down a pawn, Lei had a strong center and better piece activity. However, around move 23, she failed to find a good setup for her pieces and Lagno, playing with Black, started to take over the initiative. By the 30th move, White’s position was lost. Lagno’s pieces were surrounding the white king, but unfortunately, she failed to find the precise continuation to capitalise before the position returned to equality.

Last year, at the FIDE World Cup, where Praggnanadhaa secured his spot at the Candidates, even former world champion Magnus Carlsen had told Praggnanadhaa that he wanted to “be like Pragg”, one of the biggest compliments the Indian grandmaster has been paid.

So how does one go about being like Pragg? 

The Indian Express asked RB Ramesh, the coach of Praggnanadhaa and Vaishali.

READ MORE

The Candidates chess tournament has always been a winner-takes-all event. But the stakes are even higher for this year's contenders, thanks to Magnus Carlsen giving the event a miss and Ding Liren looking vulnerable.

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“Gukesh’s team is a little bigger this time around. Usually, he used to work with only one coach for any tournament. This time he has a team of his coach and some seconds. They work together. Apart from that, the routine is the same. So the main team is basically four to five people apart from Gukesh,” Gukesh’s father Dr Rajnikanth told The Indian Express exclusively last month.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW

India’s 17-year-old phenom D Gukesh is bidding to become the youngest ever World Championship finalist with help of five-member team, plenty of insights from mentor Vishy Anand and new-found attitude.

READ MORE

“A player like Gukesh, who has broken into the world’s elite at an early age, is going to be the trend rather than the exception. I think India has a lot to look forward to,” Magnus Carlsen had said during the Global Chess League last year.

Not a man who is easily impressed, the World No 1 from Norway almost enviously gushed when asked about India’s riches in chess. “It’s awesome to see the huge amounts of young Indian players that are taking over the chess scene. India is producing GMs at a higher level than ever before. I think we’re just at the beginning of a chess revolution,” said the former world champion, doffing his hat to Gukesh and other teenage prodigies from India like Praggnanandhaa R (18 years old), Nihal Sarin (19) and Arjun Erigaisi (19).

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Being a teenage grandmaster is hard work. But it’s even harder for their parents — who are always hanging around at playing arenas while maintaining their distance. These parents have some remarkable tales themselves: of their own careers put on hold so they can be full-time chaperones, managers and emotional support systems.

Gukesh D is accompanied by his father Dr Rajinikanth at all international events. Dr Rajinikanth quit his practice to travel with the teenager everywhere. Thsi meant that the family had to live on one salary, Gukesh's mom's.

“When Gukesh started playing in events abroad, I had to quit my practice at both my clinics. My wife was in a government job, so we decided she should continue,” Gukesh's father Rajinikanth had told The Indian Express last year. 

That decision meant the family would have only one income to fall back on even as expenses would grow considerably. By Rajinikanth’s calculations, the family spent nearly Rs 50 to 60 lakh in just the 16-month phase between October 2017 and January-February 2019. The family dipped into its savings, and when that started to get thinner, they sold property, and mortaged the the family jewellery.

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When a classical game stretches on for 5 or 6 hours, chess players allow their mind to "go on strike" for brief moments. Here are the oddest thoughts chess players like Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh, Mikhail Tal, Vachier-Lagrave and Grischuk entertained in the middle of games.

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“(Vishy) Anand sir has been my idol since the time I started playing chess. He’s one of the prominent reasons why I started playing the sport actually," Gukesh had told The Indian Express in an exclusive interview in June last year when he was on the verge of becoming India's top-ranked chess player ahead of Anand, who had held the spot for 36 years.

"Overtaking Anand sir would be something memorable for me. But no matter how many Indians get to the next level, get to the Candidates or maybe even enter the World Championships and become the World Champion, Anand sir will always be the special one. He started all this. Without him, this success (for Indian chess players) would not be possible. So no matter what, he will always be the greatest Indian chess player. Overtaking him would be nice but I have more important goals to look forward to,” Gukesh had told The Indian Express in an exclusive interview. 

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Gukesh is going to win, and this is the moment Abasov realizes it!https://t.co/QPKWAzfM2I#FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/FYR71F0c2r

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 10, 2024

Before the Candidates tournament started, Gukesh was interviewed by FIDE's YouTube channel. Check out the full interview with the teenager. 

The 17-year-old manages to get victory after a 87-move marathon against Nijat Abasov! Gukesh is now the joint leader in the Open standings along with two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Incredible result on a day where two of his compatriots Vidit Gujrathi (versus Fabiano Caruana) and Praggnanandhaa (vs Ian #Nepomniachtchi) let slip their advantage and had to settle for a draw. 

Gukesh is not only the youngest player in the current Candidates field, but also the second youngest player *EVER* to compete in the prestigious tournament. The youngest player ever at the Candidates?  The legendary Bobby Fischer!!!!

“I cannot imagine Gukesh winning the Candidates," was former world champion Magnus Carlsen's verdict on the Indian teenager before the tournamrnt started. "I can see him being anywhere from +2 to -5 (at the end of the tournament). I think he will certainly win at least a couple of games, but will have some fairly bad losses as well. I don’t think he will do poorly, but I don’t think he will do too well either. He’s not quite ready yet to make the leap. It’s more likely that he has a bad event.”

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. 

Only one final game is still going on: Gukesh vs Abasov.

Gukesh has under a minute left on the clock, with each move earning him 30 seconds. Abasov has just under 2 minutes on the clock. 

The Indian has two pawns and a queen on the board. Abasov has one pawn and a queen. This is nervewracking. They have played 76 moves. 

In an exhilarating encounter, ?? Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (2727) and ?? Fabiano Caruana (2803) settled for a draw. Vidit expertly navigated the game into a structure he specialises in but missed opportunities, which weren’t as easy to spot as humans, according to the commentators.… pic.twitter.com/9TG1zq8JEV

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 9, 2024

Nakamura defeats Alireza Firouzja to get his first win of the Candidates 2024 tournament. 

A mistake from the French player leads the American to push on and claim the victory! 

Both players get their second scoresheets since one can record 60 moves. 

There are just seven pieecs left on the board, and it's Abasov who's under pressure. Vishy Anand believes Gukesh has a good chance to win. 

Meanwhile, the Alireza Firouzja vs Hikaru Nakamura game is also continuing. 

The 17-year-old from India has about a minute left on the clock while his opponent has over 8 minutes. We're heading to a fascinating clash. Since it is the final time control, each move earns them 30 seconds.

The duo is in a queen endgame at the moment. 

Tan Zhongyi remains the leader in the women's standings after Round 5 with all of the four games ending in draws. 

Two more Indians have agreed to draws as Vaishali vs Anna Muzychuk and Humpy Koneru vs Goryachkina ends without a decisive result. 

Another Indian gets a draw, Pragg is held to a draw by Ian Nepomniachtchi after 44 mvoes. What an escape for Nepo, who was under considerable pressure from the Indian teen for a large part of that game!!!

After his last two games ended in defeats, Vidit Gujrathi manages to get a draw in 30 moves. He holds World no 2 Fabiano Caruana to a draw. Caruana is one of the heavy favourites to win the Candidates. He's competing in his fifth Candidates event, and is the top seed at the event. 

But the rest day seems to have done Vidit a world of good. 

The game between Lei Tingjie and Kateryna Lagno ended in a draw after 45 moves. The other three games in the women's secion are still playing on. 

But the Indian is down to two minutes! And he has seven moves to make to stave off time control. 

Vidit has two additional pawns on the board against Fabiano Caruana. They're almost level on time, so that's one less thing for Vidit to fret over. 

Here's how the game has developed 

The Indian veteran has TWO minutes to make SEVEN moves against Goryachkina. 

One pair of rooks have been traded by Pragg and Nepo. This is going to be a dogfight with Pragg pushing for the win and Nepo defending resolutely. 

Goryachkina is a pawn up against Humpy. And the Indian is running low on time. 

Inndia's Gukesh, the youngest players competing at the Candidates this year (and second youngest player at teh Candidates ever), has an advantage over Nijat Abasov, who is a rank underdog at the event, ranked No 114 in the world. 

In the Gukesh vs Abasov game, the Indian is currently up a pawn and has 15 additional minutes on the clock. He also seems to have a relatively comfortable position on the board. 

Can he convert this into a victory? 

Over in the women's section, India's Vaishali Rameshbabu is running low on time but has both her bishops on the board while her opponent Anna Muzychuk has none.

Vaishali has about 18 minutes on clock. The Ukranian has twice that. 

The 18-year-old seems like he's close to handing a defeat to the tournament leader and a man who has won the last two Candidates events! Superb prep from the teenager from Chennai. Devastating!  

Pragg (white) vs Nepo

1 e4 e5
2 Nf3  Nf6
3 Nxe5 d6
4 Nf3 Nxe4
5 d4 d5
6 Bd3 Bd6
7 O-O O-O
8 c4 c6
9 Nc3 Nxc3
10 bxc3 dxc4
11 Bxc4 Bf5
12 Bg5 Qa5
13 Nh4 Be6
14 Bxe6 Qxg5
15 Nf3 Qa5
16 Bh3 Qxc3
17 Rb1 b6
18 Rb3 Qa5
19 d5 cxd5
20 Ng5 h6
21 Nxf7 Kxf7
22 Rd3 Nd7
23 Rxd5 Nc5
24 Rxd6 Kg8

In the Praggnanandhaa R vs Ian Nepomniachtchi game, the Indian teenager has forced the points table leader from Russia under massive time pressure with his excellent opening prep. Even though Nepo has an additional pawn and a knight on the board, he has almost an hour less on his clock as compared to Pragg as the Russian contemplates his 22nd move. 

Pragg now has almost 35 minutes on the clock as compared to his opponent Nepo after 19 moves. Nepo puts his head down on the table, fussing over his next move. Some pieces have already made their way off the board in a game that's developing frantically. 

After falling back on the clock for the last two games, Vidit is *again* behind in the clock! 

After nine moves, Vidit has 1:24:40 on the clock. So he has just under an hour and 30 minutes to play 31 moves. His opponent Caruana has an additional half an hour on the clock.