Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi played a brilliant game with black pieces to beat USA’s Hikaru Nakamura in the second round of the FIDE Candidates 2024 tournament at the Great Hall in Toronto, Canada on Saturday.
Playing the Berlin Defense of the Ruy Lopez opening, Vidit forced the World No. 3 to make an array of inaccurate moves before ending the game in 29 moves.
Vidit had earlier played out a draw against compatriot D. Gukesh in the first round.
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The 29-year-old offered a bishop sacrifice in the 11th move by playing bxh3 and Nakamura made a positional blunder with his knight to c4 move in response.
The Indian also broke Nakamura’s 47-game unbeaten streak in classical chess that had lasted since a loss to the defending world champion Ding Liren in the Candidates 2022.
Vidit won the FIDE Grand Swiss in the Isle of Man in 2023 to qualify for the eight-player tournament, which gives its winner a chance to challenge the reining world champion for the title.
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