Six gamers, one level aside, 4 extra video games every, taking part in for one place that issues — ending atop the FIDE Candidates 2024.
Over the following 5 days, Ian Nepomniachtchi, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Vidit Gujrathi — will play 4 of essentially the most decisive video games of their careers as they race in the direction of the highest spot of the double spherical robin occasion that includes eight gamers the place ending first offers the suitable to problem the World Champion.
It’s a match the place strain is available in many kinds, not simply from the opponent throughout the board.
Pattern this: The racing pack of six is at the moment separated by one level on the standings after 10 video games. No American has been world champion since Bobby Fischer in 1972, over 5 a long time again. Caruana, who has competed in 4 Candidates beforehand, had his shot in 2018 however was denied by Magnus Carlsen.
No Russian has ascended the throne since Vladimir Kramnik in 2006. Nepomniachtchi has had two photographs on the title, after successful the final two Candidates tournaments, however was denied by Carlsen and Ding.
The three first timers from India may even bear in mind that no Indian has been world champion in simply over a decade. All three of them got low odds to reach the match.
Viswanathan Anand referred to as the trio “longshots”. Carlsen had positioned the three Indians, together with Nijat Abasov, on the backside half of his predicted score checklist forward of the occasion.
With solely 4 video games left, Gukesh leads the race with Russia’s Nepo at six factors, Pragg is tussling with the People Nakamura and Caruana half some extent behind, and Vidit is on 5 factors, one level away from the highest. The opposite two contenders — Alireza Firouzja and Nijat Abasov — are out of the race.
Not solely have the Indians dealt with the rigours of the competitors properly, they’ve additionally arrived in Toronto armed with a bag of methods which have caught their opponents off guard at occasions.
Whereas Vidit bought Nakamura sizzling and bothered by providing his bishop as a sacrifice within the eleventh transfer within the second spherical (in a recreation which the Indian went on to win), Caruana was bowled over by Pragg’s opening alternative towards him of their Spherical 7 conflict.
“I don’t suppose he’s performed the French in any respect (transferring the pawn to e6 as an alternative of e5 as a response to white’s e4). It’s often e4, e5. On this match, he’s to date performed each recreation with e5 (as the primary transfer with black). I form of knew the road, however he knew it higher,” admitted Caruana in an interview with St Louis Chess Membership’s YouTube channel.
Candidates 2024 Spherical 10 highlights
Sooner or later throughout his evaluation with the laptop computer, he begins discovering the mousetraps Pragg had arrange for him.
“I wasn’t certain whether or not it was good or not that he performed the French. In hindsight, it wasn’t good for me that he performed this line,” he added.
Caruana went on a run of six attracts and a defeat earlier than he lastly received his Spherical 10 conflict on Tuesday.
Nepo was pressured right into a double take by Gukesh choosing the Cozio Defence with black items (light-squared knight jumps in entrance of the king on e7 sq.) when the Russian selected the Ruy Lopez to assault him with white items in Spherical 10.
“I’d have most well-liked to place a bit extra strain on Gukesh, however this Nge7 turned fashionable lately. It’s not so simple as it may appear,” mentioned Nepo in his personal evaluation throughout an interview with St Louis Chess Membership’s YouTube channel.
Strain at an occasion just like the Candidates additionally comes from what’s taking place within the adjoining boards. After his win over Caruana in Spherical 8, Nakamura had defined how strain messes together with your thoughts at an occasion just like the Candidates. At that time, Caruana was simply half some extent behind sole chief Nepo.
“Everybody was anticipating Nepo to beat Nijat Abasov (in spherical 8) with white items. So I felt that Fabiano actually felt the strain to do one thing. He was most likely pondering in his thoughts that Nepo goes to win his recreation after which get away (from touching distance on the leaderboard),” defined Nakamura, who capitalised on that desperation of Caruana to defeat him.
“On the Candidates, everyone seems to be simply tremendous nervous. Loopy out of their minds,” mentioned Nakamura, who went on to proclaim, as he has many occasions prior to now fortnight, that he’s solely on the Candidates taking part in for enjoyable since he thinks of himself as a streamer first and a chess participant later, which is why there’s no strain on him.
He pointed on the recreation between Alireza Firouzja and Gukesh (in spherical 7 the place Alireza had received towards the Indian), the place the French GM had about three minutes to make 9 strikes to make the time management.
“Alireza was tremendous calm, tremendous relaxed, tremendous focussed… the way in which he ought to have been at first of any match. However when you had been (contending for the title and also you had three minutes to make 9 strikes), you’ll have been shaking and nervous. That’s only a by-product of the Candidates match the place everyone seems to be on the sting. It happens extra at this occasion than at different occasions.”
There are pressures in different kinds as properly: Profitable the Candidates means taking a shot on the world chess champion’s crown, at the moment worn very uneasily by Ding Liren. Since he turned the world champion final 12 months, Ding has largely been lacking from motion. In no matter little aggressive motion he has taken half in, he has appeared shaky, which ought to embolden all six gamers to take their possibilities on the present Candidates cycle.
However it should additionally ratchet up the strain for the 20- and 30- somethings within the eight-man discipline, who’re already beginning to really feel the strain from the following era of teenage brawlers.
Pragg has barely tougher path
Here’s a take a look at the 4 video games that stand in the way in which of the Indian trio. Gukesh — who’s the second youngest participant within the Candidates in historical past — has a barely simpler path, as does Vidit, since they’ll face others from the highest 6 in two video games whereas Pragg runs into three potential Candidates winners.
Gukesh’s opponents:
White items towards Fabiano Caruana (reverse recreation was drawn)
Black towards Nijat Abasov (Gukesh received reverse recreation)
White towards Alireza Firouzja (Gukesh misplaced reverse recreation)
Black towards Hikaru Nakamura (reverse recreation was drawn)
Praggnanandhaa’s opponents:
White towards Hikaru Nakamura (reverse recreation was drawn)
Black towards Ian Nepomniachtchi (reverse recreation was drawn)
White towards Fabiano Caruana (reverse recreation was drawn)
Black towards Nijat Abasov (Pragg received reverse recreation)
Vidit’s opponents:
White towards Ian Nepomniachtchi (Vidit misplaced reverse recreation)
Black towards Fabiano Caruana (reverse recreation was drawn)
White towards Nijat Abasov (reverse recreation was drawn)
Black towards Alireza Firouzja (Vidit received reverse recreation)
Outcomes from Spherical 10
Open
Hikaru Nakamura beat Nijat Abasov
Fabiano Caruana beat Alireza Firouzja
Ian Nepomniachtchi drew with Gukesh D
Praggnanandhaa R drew with Vidit Santosh Gujrathi
Girls’s
Kateryna Lagno drew with Anna Muzychuk
Aleksandra Goryachkina misplaced to Lei Tingjie
Nurgyul Salimova misplaced to Vaishali Rameshbabu
Tan Zhongyi drew with Humpy Koneru