GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana gained their video games in spherical 10 of the 2024 FIDE Candidates Event to inch nearer to the event lead. Co-leaders GM Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Gukesh Dommaraju made a draw of their sport and at the moment are chased by three gamers a half-point behind: Nakamura, Caruana, and GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

GM Lei Tingjie has gained 4 of her final 5 video games, this time towards GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, to leap right into a tie for first with GM Tan Zhongyi. The Chinese language grandmasters are a degree forward of their closest rivals, Goryachkina and GM Kateryna Lagno. 

After a relaxation day, spherical 11 can be on Wednesday, April 17, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET / 20:30 CEST / 12:00 a.m. IST.

Standings – Candidates

Standings – Ladies’s Candidates

Candidates: People Barge Again Into The Event

The marquee matchup was the Nepomniachtchi vs. Gukesh, who co-led the event going into the spherical. The opening on this sport was the primary to trigger a response from the commentators as Gukesh performed the unusual Cozio Protection of the Ruy Lopez, a deviation from his normal Berlin.

Nepomniachtchi went for what the commentators known as a “two-results sport,” one the place he would attempt to squeeze with out taking pointless dangers. Gukesh, unchallenged, held his personal within the heavy-piece endgame. 

Gukesh mentioned after the sport: “Properly, I used to be Black. He performed a strong sport and it was a good consequence.” 

The 2 decisive video games have been gained by the American gamers, each of whom suffered setbacks in current rounds.

After a tough loss the day before today, Nakamura repeated Nepomniachtchi’s opening from spherical eight towards GM Nijat Abasov, and it labored. After Abasov’s 13…b5?, initiating an assault that was too gradual, GM Peter Leko already prophesized: “I do not actually see Abasov surviving this, actually.”

I do not actually see Abasov surviving this, actually.

—Peter Leko

Nerves have been on full show, nevertheless, as Nakamura later needed to make 9 strikes in 11 minutes to succeed in transfer 40 and was “beginning to get very nervous” about probably even dropping. Out of the blue, it was Abasov who achieved a bonus, however 36…Qe7?, performed after pondering for a couple of minute of the 18 he had left, was the game-changer that allowed Nakamura to get better.

37.Be5! was “a traditional picket defend,” as he put it, and Nakamura went up the alternate and gained the sport.

“An enormous win, a really topsy-turvy sport, very similar to yesterday,” mentioned Nakamura. “I used to be not very proud of my time utilization in vital moments of the sport, however we do get the win.”

An enormous win, a really topsy-turvy sport, very similar to yesterday.

—Hikaru Nakamura

You may can hearken to Nakamura’s recap video beneath:

Each Caruana and GM Alireza Firouzja have been in must-win territory in the event that they have been to have any shot at successful the event, so we bought a pointy Sicilian Najdorf in consequence. Caruana essayed the uncommon however harmful 6.Rg1!? and launched the brand new transfer 7.Bc4N.

Caruana may have gained an enormous benefit proper out of the opening with 14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.e5!, a tactic each gamers missed. However the turning level got here a lot later, within the endgame, the place Caruana began to outplay his struggling opponent. GM Rafael Leitao discusses the Sport of the Day beneath.

After this vital victory, Caruana relaunches his climb to the highest. He mentioned: ‘”Everyone seems to be having some dangerous moments. I had my worst second towards Hikaru on this event. Fortunately, I am nonetheless combating… this win was essential for me.”

 Fortunately, I am nonetheless combating.

—Fabiano Caruana

Off the board, Firouzja’s bother with the occasion officers hasn’t but come to a detailed. His father, Hamidreza, spoke to FM Mike Klein about being escorted out of the constructing after he threatened to name the police so as to enter the spectator space.

Sadly, he additionally shared that his son advised him he does not wish to play chess anymore, after failing to defeat Nepomniachtchi from a superior place in spherical 9. Firouzja’s followers will hope it was an emotional outburst in a annoying interval and never an official declaration.

“Final night time, Alireza advised me, ‘Dad I do not wish to play chess.'”#FIDECandidates pic.twitter.com/fxlzehh8HQ

— chess24 (@chess24com) April 15, 2024

Praggnanandhaa defeated his countryman GM Vidit Gujrathi in spherical three, however there’s actually not a lot to say about their second encounter in spherical 10. It was a Berlin Protection the place Praggnanandhaa traded his knight for a bishop on d6, simply as Gukesh performed towards him on the day before today in an analogous construction. However, after that, they traded down and repeated strikes simply earlier than the time management.

There are six gamers in rivalry to win this event with 4 rounds to go. After a relaxation day, we are going to see all of them play each other aside from Firouzja vs. Abasov, the 2 gamers struggling most.

Ladies’s Candidates: All Lei Does Is Win

Tan overreached in an equal place and misplaced in spherical eight, however she did not make that mistake once more. Within the Scotch Opening, GM Humpy Koneru equalized comfortably with Black after which managed to win a pawn, however the event chief pulled the brakes, gained the pawn again just a few strikes later, and drew the heavy-piece endgame.

Within the battle of the 2 gamers in second place, Goryachkina vs. Lei, we noticed an Alternate Slav—however the modest opening did not imply a quiet sport. Lei grabbed a doubtlessly poisoned pawn on b2 and it finally paid off.

“This sport was, how you can say, going up and taking place,” mentioned Lei a couple of sophisticated endgame wherein she was successful at numerous factors however unable to search out the perfect continuations a number of instances. Goryachkina made her last mistake in an equal three pawns vs. knight endgame, the place 61.Nxe5? dropped the half-point. 

Truly, when Lei performed 60…f5, she assumed the place was only a draw. It was solely after her opponent responded that she realized: “Oops, there could also be some possibilities… I used to be shocked.” Lei gained the miraculous ending and realized her fourth win within the final 5 video games.

Requested about what modified within the final 5 rounds, Lei mentioned: “I assumed I had no likelihood and there isn’t any stress for me.” Now that she’s within the event lead, the query is whether or not she’ll now really feel stress and if she will sustain the stellar kind. 

GM-elect Vaishali Rameshbabu appeared like she was on her method to dropping but a fifth consecutive sport towards IM Nurgyul Salimova, however she stopped the bleeding on this spherical. Within the endgame, the Bulgarian IM discovered a sublime successful thought, 42.Kh2! Rc5 43.Rg2, however later collapsed when each gamers have been left with underneath one minute every. Stubbornly declining a proposal to repeat and draw, when the place was already equal, Salimova even misplaced the endgame she had dominated for therefore lengthy.

Towards Lagno, GM Anna Muzychuk performed the considerably unpopular—however completely sound—Open Variation of the Ruy Lopez with Black. She discovered a pleasant sequence to equalize, ending with the one transfer 16…c6!.

On the finish, Muzychuk had two pawns towards one on the kingside, however the endgame was a draw throughout.

 You may watch video recaps of the Candidates in our playlist beneath (click on right here).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries

The FIDE Candidates Tournaments are among the many most essential FIDE occasions of the yr. Gamers compete for the appropriate to play within the subsequent FIDE World Championship match towards present World Chess Champions GMs Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun.

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