D Gukesh re-joined Ian Nepomniachtchi at the top of the standings with a win over his compatriot Vidit Gujrathi, while Koneru Humpy posted her first win of the 2024 FIDE Candidates tournament in what was a fairly successful round 8 for the Indians.
Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi lead the Open section with five points each, while Hikaru Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa are breathing on their necks with 4.5 points to their name. Praggnanandhaa drew with Alireza Firouzja, while Nakamura got the better of Fabiano Caruana to climb up a spot.
There was a shake up in the women's section as Zhongyi Tan's dominance was stalled by her compatriot Lei Tingjie, who handed the former her first loss of the tournament. It was a good day for Humpy as the she secured her first win in eight games by beating R Vaishali and moved up to the 5-6 bracket.
Results in round 8 (of 14):
FIDE Candidates Tournament (Open):
R Praggnanandhaa (IND) drew Alireza Firouzja
D Gukesh (IND) beat Vidit Gujrathi (IND)
Hikaru Nakamura (USA) beat Fabiano Caruana (USA)
Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) drew Nijat Abasov (UZB)
FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament:
Lei Tingjie (CHN) beat Zhongyi Tan (CHN)
Koneru Humpy (IND) beat Vaishali R (IND)
Kateryna Lagno (RUS) drew Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS)
Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) drew Anna Muzychuk
Gukesh bounces back, third successive win for Nakamura
Gukesh came back from his disappointing loss to Firouzja with a fine win over Vidit. It was a much-needed result for the Gukesh, who is the youngest participant at the Candidates, as it puts him back in the pole position. The Praggnanandhaa vs Firouzja match looked like it would lead to a decisive outcome, but both players ended up splitting the points.
Nakamura, who was beaten by Vidit earlier, bagged his third win on the trot as he made his way past Caruana. The result took him a spot above in the standings as he occupies the 3-4 bracket with Praggnanandhaa. Elsewhere, Nepomniachtchi failed to capitalize on a chance to pull ahead of the pack as he drew with Abasov for the second time this tournament.
🇮🇳 Gukesh D (2743) makes a comeback, defeating 🇮🇳 Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (2727). Gukesh capitalized on the open a-file, infiltrating Vidit's territory and pressuring his king to seek escape.
After this win, Gukesh expressed his happiness in playing a good game and coming back... pic.twitter.com/Dul0v69LQy
- International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 13, 2024
Zhongyi stunned, win #1 for Humpy
Tingjie secured her third win of the 2024 Candidates as she defeated Zhongyi to make it a three-way fight for the top spot. Zhongyi had been leading since round one but found no way past Tingjie as the two Chinese and Aleksandra Goryachkina are now locked at five points each.
Humpy did well to capture her first win as she made the most of an error from Vaishali. The remaining two games in the women's section ended in draws as Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina drew, as did Nurgyul Salimova and Anna Muzychuk.
🇮🇳 Humpy Koneru (2546) beats country-mate 🇮🇳 Vaishali Rameshbabu (2475). Vaishali was in a tough spot and managed to equalise but eventually blundered, granting Humpy her first win of the event.
Round 8 Women's #FIDECandidates📷 Michal Walusza pic.twitter.com/DPJwqou2KH
- International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 13, 2024
Note - There are five Indians playing the Candidates for the first time, which is a winner-takes-it-all tournament between the top 8 players in the world to decide who will compete in the World Championship match to challenge the reigning world champion.
Standings after Round 8 (of 14):
FIDE Candidates Tournament (Open):
1-2: Nepomniachtchi (5), Gukesh (5)
3-4: Nakamura (4.5), Praggnanandhaa (4.5)
5: Caruana (4)
6: Vidit (3.5)
7: Firouzja (3)
8: Abasov (2.5)
FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament:
1-3: Goryachkina (5), Tingjie (5), Zhongyi (5)
4: Lagno (4.5)
5-6: Salimova (4), Humpy (4)
7: Muzychuk (3)
8: Vaishali (2.5)
Schedule
OPEN CATEGORY
WOMEN'S CATEGORY