It proved a near-perfect day for the Indian trio in the FIDE Candidates 2024.
Just 24 hours after Vidit Gujrathi and R. Praggnanandhaa were left to feel miserable following heart-breaking draws, the duo cruised to impressive victories while D. Gukesh stayed in the joint lead after six rounds in Toronto on Wednesday.
Vidit added to the woes of Alireza Firouzja, who seemed to have not gotten over the painful previous-round loss to Hikaru Nakamura. Praggnanandhaa carved out a deserving victory over Nijat Abasov after keeping up the pressure throughout the encounter. All this while, Gukesh dealt with a solid display from Nakamura before the game ended in an expected draw.
In the day’s other encounter, top seed Fabiano Caruana and defending champion Ian Nepomniachtchi played out a measured draw, reeling off 41 moves in just two hours in what was the first game to finish.
As things stand, Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi continue to do the front-running, Praggnanandhaa joined Caruana in being half a point behind the leaders, and Vidit matched Nakamura’s tally to share the fifth spot. Firouzja and Abasov, following their third defeat, are tied for seventh.
Without a doubt, the talking point of the day was the deserving victories for Vidit and Praggnanandhaa after having suffered for the last 24 hours. It may be recalled that Vidit had Caruana on the ropes while Praggnanandhaa reached a formidable position against Nepomniachtchi. In this background, their latest victory carried a different meaning.
All credit to Vidit for displaying a steely resolve to play quality chess. The only player with four decisive results so far, Vidit was alert to notice that Firouzja, playing black, had seriously erred on the 13th move. He took his time to find the most effective response –pushing a central pawn – and slowly gaining the upper hand.
In fact, at one stage, Vidit had an hour less than what Firouzja had on the clock. Undeterred, he consolidated his position by gaining a rook for a knight and traded it back in time to claim a pawn in the bargain.
VIDIT VS FIROUZJA ROUND SIX MATCH
In a position where Vidit had a central pawn on the seventh rank while three queenside pawns were ready to roll without a pawn in opposition, Firouzja saw no way of preventing the ‘queening’ pawn, without losing his rook. He resigned and became Vidit’s second famed victim after Nakamura.
Later, asked how he dealt with the disappointments of twin losses and a missed opportunity against Caruana, Vidit said, “The people around me showed the positive side. That gave me confidence that even against the World No. 2 (Caruana), I can outplay him despite getting out-prepared (in the opening phase).”
Praggnanandhaa capitalized on a late blunder from Abasov, who had done likewise against Gukesh in the previous round. After Praggnanandhaa looked a touch better for the first 38 moves, Abasov faltered by going for a pawn capture with his rook on the kingside. This allowed Praggnanandhaa to clean Abasov’s last queenside pawn and establish two passed pawns.
PRAGGNANANDHAA VS ABASOV ROUND SIX MATCH
Significantly, Praggnanandhaa planted his knight deep on the central file to control all the strategic squares to leave Abasov feeling exasperated. Armed with a ‘powerless’ bishop and finding no way to stop the two queenside pawns, Abasov resigned. Praggnanandhaa’s second victory not only brought him level with Caruana but also within striking distance of the leaders.
Gukesh, meanwhile, was involved in an over-the-board theoretical debate with Nakamura following a seventh-move novelty. Both players showed immense respect for the position and produced 98 per cent first-choice moves to reach a widely expected outcome.
The Nepomniachtchi-Caruana game saw the players repeat the first 10 moves from their encounter with the 2020 Candidates before the American deviated. With the players finding 99 per cent of the best options in quick time, this equal battle ended with honours even, at the first time-control.
Sixth-round results (Indians unless stated): D. Gukesh (4) drew with Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 3) in 40 moves in Sicilian Early Fianchetto; R. Praggnanandhaa (3.5) bt Nijat Abasov (Aze,) in 45 moves in Semi-Tarrasch Defence; Vidit Gujrathi (3) bt Alireza Firouzja (Fra, 1.5) in 40 moves in Sicilian Sozin Attack; Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE, 4) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 3.5) in 41 moves in Four Knights.
Seventh-round pairings: Firouzja-Gukesh; Caruana-Praggnanandhaa; Abasov-Vidit; Nakamura-Nepomniachtchi.
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