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          FIDE Candidates 2024: Gukesh in three-way tie for lead after Praggnanandhaa holds Nepomniachtchi in round 12

          D Gukesh remains India's best-bet for winning the 2024 FIDE Candidates, having the joint-lead with two rounds to go. PTI Photo via FIDE/Michal Walusza
          • Anirudh Menon
          Apr 19, 2024, 02:45 AM

          India's D Gukesh beat Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov using a bold opening strategy with black pieces to climb back atop the table of the FIDE Candidates 2024 (Open). He's joined there in a three-way tie by Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi (who was held to a draw by India's R Praggnanandhaa) and USA's Hikaru Nakamura (who beat France's Alireza Firouzja after a complicated mid-game). Closing following the leading pack is Nakamura's compatriot Fabiano Caruana, with Praggnanandhaa a further point away.

          In the Women's section, China's Tan Zhongyi and Lie Tingjie remained 1-2 with draws against Bulgaria's Nurgyul Salimova and Russia's Kateryna Lagno respectively. Elsewhere, India's Vaishali R's remarkable resurgence continued, with a third straight win (this over Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk) while compatriot Koneru Humpy remains in a three-way tie for third after a draw against Russia's Aleksandra Goryachkina.

          Here's how round 12 panned out:

          Results in round 12 (of 14):

          FIDE Candidates Tournament (Open):

          • Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) drew R Praggnanandhaa (IND)

          • Hikaru Nakamura (USA) beat Alireza Firouzja (FRA)

          • Nijat Abasov (AZE) lost to Gukesh D (IND)

          • Fabiano Caruana (USA) beat Vidit Gujrathi (IND)

          FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament:

          • Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) drew Tan Zhongyi (CHN)

          • Kateryna Lagno (RUS) drew Lei Tingjie (CHN)

          • Anna Muzychuk (UKR) lost to Vaishali R (IND)

          • Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) drew Koneru Humpy (IND)

          Gukesh goes top along with Nepo, Nakamura

          Gukesh made his intentions clear very early on with an opening that took most experts, and seemingly Abasov, by surprise. Called the Nimzo-Indian, it's an aggressive defensive strategy with black that opens up the game - and that's what it did on the night. Gukesh pressed Abasov back and after gaining a pawn mid-game simply took over the board, penning the Azerbaijan GM back, exchanging queens, and eventually took the win in 57 moves. Gukesh will now play with white against Firouzja in the next round.

          Nakamura's win, with white, came after a solid opening by both players (Firouzja opening with the French defence), but after a complicated mid-game that saw both players trade advantages, Firouzja's inclination to play the extra-risky move rather than the safe option played into Nakamura's hands and the American saw the game off with little fuss.

          Caruana seemed to take the advantage early on in his game against Vidit, with the Indian GM having to make his King run around early. But Vidit held off Caruana in the mid-game before a late mistake (moving the King away from a position of solidity) saw Caruana end up winning the the game with a minimum of fuss. The win means the American GM remains in the hunt, now just half-a-point behind the three-leader pack.

          Last round's sole leader Nepomniachtchi, playing white against Praggnanandhaa, had to see off a bit of pressure exerted by the Indian GM in what turned out to be a complex end-game. Nepomniachtchi's priority seemed to be to ensure atleast a draw was made, and that is how it panned out in the end. The Russian GM's safety first approach, though, wasn't mirrored by his chasing pack and that's now clearly reflecting in the standings.

          With two rounds to go, the tournament appears to be anyone's with all four at the top in with a big shout.

          The big match to watch out for in round 13 will be Nakamura vs Nepomniachtchi

          Tan remains sole lead (again), Vaishali continues resurgence

          In the women's Candidates, though, things are a lot more clear at the top. Leader for most of the rounds, Tan held off a surprisingly bold Salimova (playing all out as one might when they are bottom, and facing the player topping the table) and forced a draw from a losing position. Meanwhile, her closest competitor, compatriot Lie was unable to take advantage of a winning position against Lagno and was forced to cede the draw. The two results means the gap at the top remains 0.5... while the chasing pack remain two points behind the leader.

          In that chasing pack, Humpy and Goryachkina played out a draw (the first result of the night, in fact), while Vaishali continued her mini-resurgence late on in the tournament with a third straight win, taking down Muzychuk with black pieces with a strong mid-game that allowed her total control of the board and helped convert the winning-position end-game.

          So what does that do to the standings?

          Standings after Round 12 (of 14):

          FIDE Candidates Tournament (Open):

          • Nepomniachtchi, Nakamura, Gukesh (7.5)

          • Caruana (7)

          • Praggnanandhaa (6)

          • Vidit (5)

          • Firouzja (4.5)

          • Abasov (3)

          FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament:

          • Tan (8)

          • Lei (7.5)

          • Goryachkina, Lagno, Humpy (6)

          • Vaishali (5.5)

          • Muzychuk, Salimova (4.5)

          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.

          Two rounds remain:

          Schedule

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          WOMEN'S CATEGORY