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          FIDE Candidates 2024: Vidit beats Nakamura again; Gukesh vs Pragg in round 9 ends in draw

          File photo of Vidit Gujrathi Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images
          • Anish Anand
          Apr 15, 2024, 02:00 AM

          Vidit Gujrathi once again came up with a superb show against Hikaru Nakamura as he defeated him for the second time in the Candidates 2024. D Gukesh and Ian Nepomniachtchi continued to lead the open section of the tournament after securing draws while China's Tan Zhongyi became the sole leader in the Women's Candidates.

          Vidit, who played with white pieces, bounced back strongly after last round's loss and his win over higher-rated world. no 3 Nakamura essentially keeps him in the race for the top spot. He had already beaten Nakamura when they had played each other last week.

          Meanwhile, playing his fellow Indian Gukesh drew his match against R Praggnanandhaa, which keeps him on top along with Nepomniachtchi as both have 5.5 points after nine rounds.

          Praggnanandhaa remains in third spot after picking up five points from nine rounds.

          Nepomniachtchi faced a tough game against Alireza Firouzja and somehow managed to draw after getting outplayed in the beginning.

          In the women's section, Zhongyi overcame the challenge from R Vaishali in 21 moves to take the lead. Vaishali is ranked eighth in the tournament with a total of 2.5 points while fellow Indian Konery Humpy is tied at fifth spot with a total of four points after nine rounds.

          Humpy took on Kateryna Lagno in the latest round and their game ended in a draw.

          Rest of the matches in the women's section also ended in draw.

          Firouzja claims arbiter made his lose focus

          After his match with Nepomniachtchi, Firouzja took to social media to complain about chief arbiter of the tournament. He said the arbiter came to him in the middle of the game and told "his shoes were making a lot of noise" and asked him to wear a different pair in the next round. This ended up being a big distraction and Firouzja lost his focus.

          He also went on to allege that "all these unprofessional things" are happening to him in almost every tournament and he's tired of it.

          According to Firouzja, the formal shoes were approved by the authorities and he has been using them in competitions for more than a year.

          Results in round 9 (of 14):

          FIDE Candidates Tournament (Open):

          • Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (1) beats Hikaru Nakamura (0).

          • D Gukesh (½) drew Praggnanandhaa R (½).

          • Alireza Firouzja (½) drew Ian Nepomniachtchi (½).

          • Nijat Abasov (½) drew Fabiano Caruana (½).

          FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament:

          • Lei Tingjie (½) drew Nurgyul Salimova (½).

          • Humpy Koneru (½) drew Kateryna Lagno (½).

          • Vaishali Rameshbabu (0) loses to Tan Zhongyi (1).

          • Anna Muzychuk (½) drew Aleksandra Goryachkina (½).

          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 9 (of 14):

          FIDE Candidates Tournament (Open):

          • 1-2: Nepomniachtchi (5.5), Gukesh (5.5)

          • 3: Praggnanandhaa (5)

          • 4-6: Caruana (4.5), Nakamura (4.5), Vidit (4.5)

          • 7: Firouzja (3.5)

          • 8: Abasov (3)

          FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament:

          • 1: Zhongyi (6)

          • 2-3: Goryachkina (5.5), Tingjie (5.5)

          • 4: Lagno (5)

          • 5-6: Salimova (4), Humpy (4)

          • 7: Muzychuk (3.5)

          • 8: Vaishali (2.5)

          Schedule

          OPEN CATEGORY

          WOMEN'S CATEGORY