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General, spherical 1 of the Candidates in Toronto ended peacefully within the Open part, with 4 attracts — though Nakamura had a considerably fortunate escape. The Ladies’s part was nearly equally harmonious, other than event favorite Lei Tingjie struggling a defeat by the hands of compatriot Tan Zhongyi.
In addition to broadcasting the stay video games from the 2 tournaments, Lichess is offering a stay stream of each single day of the Candidates. Be certain that to tune in to our Twitch or YouTube, with streams ranging from 14:15 Toronto time (18:15 UTC).
Moreover, Lichess is offering each day annotations on a number of the video games from one of many high chess gamers within the US, GM Brandon Jacobson (aside from Spherical 1), and one of many high ladies chess gamers in India, IM / WGM Padmini Rout.
Schedule
Spherical Recap
Open Part
It was a fairly fast day within the workplace for Nijat Abasov, who declined the Queen’s Gambit provided to him by Nepomniachtchi. Regardless of verging into novelty territory, they transposed again into well-travelled strains and the sport appeared drawn out of the opening. There have been no fireworks by Nepomniachtchi right here; he deigned to commerce main materials off the board, and after a collection of repetitions, a draw was made on transfer 34.
https://lichess.org/examine/embed/AjqSsU1w/ngAeMvrU#0
It was an analogous story between compatriots Gukesh D and Vidit Gujathri. Going right into a Tarrasch, Gukesh, after having performed the very uncommon 9. Ra2!?, ended up in fairly an unsightly however sensible place. Vidit provided potential fireworks with 17…Bg4?!, providing a poisoned sacrifice. If White have been to just accept, it will enable Black’s now linked rooks nice mobilisation potentialities, and go away White’s items trying disconnected and ungainly. Gukesh, after all, didn’t settle for the poisoned sacrifice, and as a substitute discovered a repetition, drawing the sport on transfer 21. This fast draw with the Black items was additionally a very good consequence for Vidit, permitting him to save lots of power and put together for his subsequent spherical battle in opposition to Nakamura.
https://lichess.org/examine/embed/AjqSsU1w/CsIKgN4H#0
Maybe probably the most dynamic recreation of the day promised to be the Alireza Firouzja recreation in opposition to R Praggnanandhaa. Firouzja ended up out of the Open Ruy Lopez with fairly an unconventional pawn construction, at one level even briefly having tripled f-pawns. Praggnandhaa stored the stress on Firouzja, forcing him onto the again foot, however Firouzja maintained his cool, defending completely. Praggnandhaa discovered a chance to drive a repetition, starting with a knight sacrifice noticed and predicted on stream by GM Matthew Sadler. Praggnandha discovered it, a lot to Sadler’s delight in predicting the stream of play accurately, and Firouzja was compelled right into a threefold repetition.
https://lichess.org/examine/Mj0wdEVK/B1RJmCAf#0
Two of the event favourites additionally clashed at the moment, fellow countrymen Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. After e4, Nakamura went for a Sicilian, inflicting some shock with 5…e5 fairly than the extra anticipated 5…a6. Caruana confidently started build up initiative, with higher piece placement and management of the board. Caruana exploited Nakamura’s inaccuracies with absolute precision, discovering the one line to keep up and construct his benefit. Below time stress, nonetheless, and with no increment to depend on till transfer 40, Caruana slipped and in a handful of strikes misplaced his benefit, with materials being traded and the place trying decidedly much less deadly and extra drawish. Shortly after reaching the extra time management on transfer 40, the gamers agreed to a draw — a chance misplaced that Caruana will doubtless be disenchanted to haven’t absolutely seized upon.
https://lichess.org/examine/Mj0wdEVK/pzkfIdqR#0
Following these outcomes, our simulations present that Hikaru Nakamura has now closed the hole because the second place event favorite, primarily as a result of he drew a recreation with the Black items in opposition to the one participant larger rated than himself.
| Participant | Win chance | Most frequent predicted place | Predicted factors common |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fabiano Caruana | 31.5% (-2.2%) | 1 (=) | 8.2 (-0.1) |
| Hikaru Nakamura | 28.2% (+3.9%) | 1 (=) | 8.1 (+0.1) |
| Alireza Firouzja | 10.3 (-1.2%) | 4 (=) | 7.2 (-0.1) |
| R Praggnanandhaa | 9.3% (+1.3%) | 5 (+1) | 7.1 (+0.1) |
| Ian Nepomniachtchi | 9% (-1.8%) | 5 (-1) | 7.0 (-0.3) |
| Gukesh D | 6.3% (-0.8%) | 6 (=) | 6.8 (-0.2) |
| Vidit Gujrathi | 5.1% (+0.8%) | 7 (=) | 6.7 (+0.1) |
| Nijat Abasov | 0.2% (=) | 8 (=) | 4.7 (+0.2) |
Ladies’s Part
The Ladies’s event was nearly as equally peaceable because the Open. Salimova opted for a Petrov in opposition to Muzychuk, with gamers following a recreation performed between Naiditsch and Fridman in 2013 earlier than diverging on transfer 18. The gamers traded down, with Muzychuk with the White items forcing a repetition — an essential consequence for Salimova, who obtained a draw with the Black items in opposition to one of many stronger and most skilled gamers within the Ladies’s Candidates.
https://lichess.org/examine/embed/o9KMvY7j/GN0cDmMH#0
It was an analogous story for Vaishali, new to the Ladies’s Candidates and fewer skilled than her opponent, the doyenne Humpy Koneru. Vaishali diverged into (primarily) novelty territory shortly with 7. Nbd2 — our information discovered an ICCF recreation from the Norwegian Correspondence Championship which their recreation adopted — earlier than getting into true uncharted territory. Neither facet made any actual errors, regardless of Vaishali dwelling on the increment. Unable to make headway, Koneru drew the sport by repeating strikes simply after time management was reached.
https://lichess.org/examine/Mj0wdEVK/H9AXHAm4#0
The event favorite (when it comes to the statistics), Aleksandra Goryachkina, confronted compatriot Kateryna Lagno. Lagno went for a Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Sicilian, and truly the engine barely most well-liked her for nearly the whole recreation. Nevertheless, what the engine likes and what a human can see are clearly two very completely different issues, and the result of the sport appeared fairly equal total. Very similar to the opposite video games, a repetition was made and the sport fizzled out right into a draw simply earlier than the time management was reached.
https://lichess.org/examine/embed/o9KMvY7j/VTWN3nCG#0
The ultimate recreation was between compatriots Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi, who had a small rating to settle after Tingjie knocked Zhongyi out of the earlier Ladies’s Candidates. Transposing from an Indian Recreation right into a Queen’s Gambit Declined, Tingjie appeared to have a slight edge. Nevertheless, Tingjie probably misjudged the buying and selling of queens, shedding momentum and permitting Zhongyi to have the pendulum swing in her favor. The sport was probably trying like an uncomfortable draw, till an uncommon blunder from Tingjie adopted by a collection of inaccuracies allowed Zhongyi to kingwalk in such a means that she might threaten a gorgeous pawn mate. Tingjie, after all conscious of this, opted as a substitute for an trade sacrifice, however the injury was performed and Zhongyi had quite a lot of lovely endgames to win. At one level, just about each transfer Tingjie might make would culminate in a mate in 30 to 60 strikes — such was the extent of her theoretical loss. Zhongyi held on to her benefit and efficiently transformed the complete level, taking a important victory with the Black items in opposition to one of many event favourites!
https://lichess.org/examine/Mj0wdEVK/PDrne0JX#0
Following these outcomes, our simulations present that Tan Zhongyi has leapfrogged considerably, to presently be the brand new event favorite — not a shock having taken a full level off one of many event favourites with Black. Nevertheless, the event continues to be younger, and plenty of unpredictable twists are absolutely but to come back!
| Participant | Win chance | Most frequent predicted place | Predicted factors common |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tan Zhongyi | 25.3% (+15.4%) | 1 (+4) | 7.9 (+0.8) |
| Aleksandra Goryachkina | 20% (-1.7%) | 1 (=) | 7.7 (-0.1) |
| Kateryna Lagno | 19% (+2.6%) | 1 (=) | 7.7 (+0.2) |
| Humpy Koneru | 17.9% (-0.5%) | 1 (=) | 7.6 (+0.1) |
| Anna Muzychuk | 7.1% (-2.5%) | 6 (-1) | 6.8 (-0.3) |
| Lei Tingjie | 6.8% (-13.5%) | 6 (-5) | 6.8 (-0.9) |
| R Vaishali | 2.9% (+0.2%) | 7 (=) | 6.2 (+0.2) |
| Nurgyul Salimova | 0.9% (+0.2%) | 8 (=) | 5.4 (+0.3) |
Spherical 2 Preview
Within the Open, there’s a possible golden alternative for Fabiano Caruana with the White items to push in opposition to Nijat Abasov. A whopping score distinction of 171 factors implies victory 73% of the time — assuming the rankings are solely correct (e.g., the gamers usually are not over/underrated).
Within the Ladies’s part — will Tan Zhongyi, with the White items in opposition to R Vaishali, be capable to push and attempt to improve her lead? Will Lei Tingjie cease the bleeding, or probably even attempt to push and reverse her fortune with the Black items in opposition to Nurgyul Salimova?
Be certain that to observe the motion with us in Spherical 2!
In addition to broadcasting the stay video games from the 2 tournaments, Lichess is offering a stay stream of each single day of the Candidates. Be certain that to tune in to our Twitch or YouTube, with streams ranging from 14:15 Toronto time (18:15 UTC).
Moreover, Lichess is offering each day annotations on a number of the video games from one of many high chess gamers within the US, GM Brandon Jacobson (aside from Spherical 1), and one of many high ladies chess gamers in India, IM / WGM Padmini Rout.
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