Credit: Stev Bonhage / FIDE

The twelfth spherical of the Candidates Match in Madrid has concluded. Ian Nepomniachtchi clinched his event victory at this time, and can quickly play a World Championship match, though his opponent stays to be determined. In clear second place after a victory at this time is Hikaru Nakamura. He sits a half level forward of Ding Liren in third. Very conveniently, Nakamura and Liren will play one another within the closing spherical, which means tie-breaks is not going to play any position. If Liren wins he’s cleanly previous Nakamura, every other end result implies that Nakamura takes second.

Day by day, Lichess is offering a broadcast of the video games performed in real-time. We even have a collection of annotated video games by GM Ulvi Bajarani and video recaps by WGM-elect Jesse February.

Ian Nepomniachtchi – Richard Rapport ½ – ½

Rapport did us all a favor by taking part in a Sicilian within the event’s decisive recreation. That is to not say the sport featured a lot pleasure. White maintained a really small benefit earlier than buying and selling right down to a reasonably secure endgame. The ultimate place was one which Nepomniachtchi, beneath different circumstances, would have absolutely continued to attempt to win, however sitting a half-point away from a world championship match, he noticed a chance to make a threefold repetition and didn’t hesitate to take it.

Credit: Stev Bonhage / FIDE

Hikaru Nakamura – Jan-Krzysztof Duda 1 – 0

No have to take a ballot to search out the sport of the day from this one. Nakamura and Duda performed a barnburner. Nakamura’s novelty 11 Nh4 in a Najdor Sicilian appeared to have good impact, as he took a small benefit out of the opening. From there, Nakamura stumbled a bit and let the benefit slip. After Duda’s refined 22… Nh7 he’s successful a pawn by pressure, however in a pointy place the place Nakamura has a lot of counterplay. Initially Duda held up properly and was even near successful after discovering 32…b5.

Sadly for Duda, he gave the benefit again a transfer later after blundering with 33…d5. The place was then hanging by a thread as Nakamura sacrificed an trade to get a harmful handed pawn. Duda reacted passively and his place ultimately grew to become untenable. Duda resigned on transfer 52.

Credit: Stev Bonhage / FIDE

Alireza Firouzja – Liren Ding ½ – ½

For those who verify your database software program, the opening path on this recreation is properly traveled, and nearly solely drawn. Ding appeared to wish to hold alive hopes of taking part in for the complete level and sacrificed materials to straighten out, and centralize his pawns. Sadly for Ding, and for the group, the place shortly grew to become closed up and unsuitable for the kind of sudden dynamic adjustments {that a} decisive chess recreation often wants. Nonetheless, Alireza discovered a method to sacrifice a bit for two pawns and liven issues up. The enjoyable didn’t final very lengthy, and some strikes later the sport was drawn by repetition. 

Credit: Stev Bonhage / FIDE

Teimour Radjabov – Fabiano Caruana ½ – ½

Caruana nonetheless had one thing to play for in the beginning of this recreation. A victory would have introduced him as much as second if there have been no different decisive video games. (There was) He sacrificed a pawn in a pointy Catalan for counterplay in opposition to the unprepared white items, however it was a kind of positions that has exactly sufficient counterplay for the fabric, not one molecule roughly. The place then very logically exchanged materials for piece activation once more, this time in reverse, and the gamers discovered themselves in a drawn endgame.