Indian teenager D Gukesh shot to the joint lead on the prestigious Candidates chess event after the eighth spherical by defeating compatriot Vidit Gujrathi with black items. Gukesh compelled Vidit’s king on the run from transfer 31. From that time on, Vidit’s king obtained loads of cardio over the subsequent few strikes. He ultimately yielded on transfer 38 as 4 of Gukesh’s items surrounded the king.
The 17-year-old prodigy from Chennai had been left heartbroken simply two days in the past after he had allowed French GM Alireza Firouzja to defeat him in a sport the place he had been dominant all through. Had Gukesh gained his Spherical 7 conflict, he would have gone into the midway level of the double round-robin event as the only chief, which might have been a stinging rebuke of the pre-tournament evaluations by legends like Magnus Carlsen.
Regardless of the rankling feeling of getting missed a giant probability towards Alireza, Gukesh used the remaining day effectively to recalibrate. He now shares the lead on the high of the standings with Ian Nepomniachtchi, who was held to a draw by Nijat Abasov. Nepo has emerged victorious on the final two Candidates occasions as effectively, and is without doubt one of the pre-tournament favourites. However that is Gukesh’s debut look within the elite eight-player competitors, the place solely first place counts because the winner of the Candidates will earn the suitable to problem Ding Liren for his World Champion’s crown.
“Coming into joint lead is sweet, however I’m simply blissful that I performed a superb sport. I’m blissful that I obtained again to the form that I’m purported to be in,” Gukesh mentioned on the post-match press convention. “On the relaxation day yesterday, I attempted to chill out a bit. I wasn’t actually tremendous upset (on the defeat) or something.”
He was requested whether or not he would begin taking extra dangers any more with simply six video games left.
“It might rely upon the sport and in addition what my temper is,” he mentioned, breaking right into a uncommon smile. His subsequent opponent in Spherical 9 is the opposite teenager from Chennai, Praggnanandhaa. Pragg agreed to a draw towards Alireza in Spherical 8, a end result that retains him in joint third place, simply half a degree behind Nepo and Gukesh.
On an unimaginable day in Toronto, Gukesh’s victory was sealed nearly concurrently when World No 2 Fabiano Caruana was additionally compelled to resign towards American compatriot, World No 3 Hikaru Nakamura. Caruana was joint second within the standings on the midway stage with Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa.
In the meantime, there was drama within the ladies’s occasion as effectively with Spherical 7 chief Tan Zhongyi shedding to compatriot Lei Tingjie. Tan’s defeat means three ladies — Tan, Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina — share the highest spot within the ladies’s Candidates occasion.
Within the battle of the 2 Indians, Humpy squandered her early benefit towards Vaishali to permit the 22-year-old a lifeline. However simply when it regarded like Vaishali would escape, she made a blunder which ultimately led to her shedding.
Humpy is now in joint fifth place whereas Vaishali is on the backside of the eight-women standings. The winner of the ladies’s occasion will get to face off towards China’s Ju Wenjun within the Ladies’s World Chess Championship.
