Credit: FIDE/Stev Bonhage

The tenth spherical of the Candidates Match in Madrid has concluded. Ian Nepomniatchi took his third straight draw, which has by some means expanded his result in 1.5 factors. Normally such a lead on this occasion would imply much less pleasure due to how meaningless second place is. This 12 months there is a superb likelihood the second place finisher will get a spot within the World Championship match as nicely as a result of present champion Magnus Carlsen has expressed ambivalence about taking part in.

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

Richard Rapport – Liren Ding 0 – 1

For mysterious causes Ding Liren has had hassle discovering many video games in opposition to different Tremendous GMs for the final couple of years. There have been questions on what kind of kind he can be in for this occasion, and he appears to have hit his stride at a great second. This recreation began out as a sluggish maneuvering Ruy Lopez earlier than Rapport performed a questionable piece sacrifice to free his place. He rapidly gained an alternate again, however then traded all the way down to an endgame that was most likely already misplaced. In desperation, Rapport gave again the alternate to attain an opposite-colored bishops endgame which will have been drawable with a extra lively king. As an alternative, Rapport’s king was as far-off from the motion as a king can probably be whereas we nonetheless use an 8×8 board, and his place was doomed.

Credit: FIDE/Stev Bonhage

Spherical 10: Jan-Krzysztof Duda – Fabiano Caruana 1 – 0

Caruana Uncharacteristically obtained the worst of the opening and met Duda’s novelty with a few inaccurate strikes. He already had some issues round transfer 14. Caruana’s kingside pawns raced ahead to help an assault that by no means fairly arrived, and finally it was his personal king that was in hassle. Duda finally traded all the way down to an simply profitable endgame and completed it off.

Caruana has 0.5 pts from his final 3 video games and his desires of taking part in for the World Championship now appear to rely totally on Magnus Carlsen’s stage of curiosity within the occasion.

Credit: FIDE/Stev Bonhage

Ian Nepomniachtchi – Teimour Radjabov ½ – ½ 

With Nepomniatchi having a giant lead within the match and Radjabov having a little bit of a fame for fast attracts (and a decrease score, and the black items on this recreation) there was some hazard of an early finish to this one. These two gamers met in an notorious third-place match for the 2021 FTC Crypto Cup the place they blatantly performed to work across the occasion’s anti-draw supply guidelines as rapidly as potential. 

Thankfully, nothing like that occurred this time, though the sport was hardly performed on the razor’s edge both. Nepomniatchi was barely higher all through a Catalan recreation, however by no means any greater than that. He understandably wasn’t all for taking any massive dangers to try to win, and efficiently achieved his draw after 37 strikes.

Credit: FIDE/Stev Bonhage

Hikaru Nakamura – Alireza Firouzja 1 – 0

Followers of thrilling double edged thrilling chess shall be unhappy to see the Najdorf handled so roughly on the high stage. The identical opening failed Maxine Vachier-Lagrave in a essential recreation in opposition to Caruana in direction of the top of the final candidates match in 2021, and in typical Najdorf vogue it was most likely shedding earlier than Caruana was even out of his preparation.

On this recreation Alireza finally achieved the usual Najdorf d5 break however there was a horrible value to pay. His kingside pawns had been a multitude, and the dark-squared bishop by no means fairly discovered a great house. The Kingside light-square assault virtually performed itself for Naka and Firouzja resigned with mate just a few strikes away.

Credit: FIDE/Stev Bonhage