Candidates’ Chess Tournament: D Gukesh’s board exam nears climax

PTI

Toronto, April 20

In what promises to be a photo finish, teenaged Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will have his task cut out when he takes on Firouzja Alireza of France in the penultimate round of the Candidates’ chess tournament here.

Gukesh, with his last white game, will improve his chances of glory greatly if he can get past Alireza, who has clearly been struggling.

With 7.5 points collected, Gukesh shares the lead with Hikaru Nakamura of the United States and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.

With just two rounds remaining, the most important clash of the penultimate round will be between Nepomniachtchi and Nakamura. The latter has been displaying top form, having won three in a row, while Nepomniachtchi is the only player who has remained undefeated after 12 gruelling rounds.

Apart from the three, Fabiano Caruana is the only player who has a chance to win the event.

With seven points so far, the American will have to overcome tough opponents in R Praggnanandhaa and finally Nepomniachtchi.

Even Gukesh has a tough opponent to deal with in Nakamura in the final round and much will depend on how he does against the world No. 3. Praggnanandhaa, who has six points, showed signs of a podium finish midway through the tournament but could not quite end up where he would have liked to.

However, the Indian showcased great potential and it is only a matter of time before he can be in the top five of the world rankings or even more.

Vidit Gujrathi had a promising start and his two victories against Nakamura stand out as his best efforts.

Nerves, however, played some part along with time pressure on certain occasions and the Indian will have to wait for another chance.

It has been a tough call for Alireza, who has just 4.5 points, while Abasov, on three points, is at the bottom of the table.

In the women’s section, Zhongyi Tan is closing in on glory with eight points to her name and her nearest contender is compatriot Tingjie Lei, who is half-a-point behind.

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