After a day of draws, Friday provided decisive results on all four boards
Defending champion Ian Nepomniachtchi got the better of Alireza Firouzja
while top seed Fabiano Caruana defeated lowest-ranked Nijat Abasov
Vidit Gujrathi broke Hikaru Nakamura‘s 47-game undefeated run
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
Nakamura’s unbeaten streak in classical chess had lasted since a loss to the defending world champion Ding Liren in the Candidates 2022
After Vidit, Gukesh became the second player to win from the black side but not before facing some very tough time against a deeply-prepared Praggnanandhaa
In a game that saw the opening lines of Queen’s Gambit Declined transposed into Catalan - a line that Praggnanandhaa is not known to employ - Gukesh took his time to find the responses
R. Vaishali will always remember how her stunning victory over Tan Zhongyi in the Grand Swiss last year ensured her spot in the FIDE Women’s Candidates.
But on Friday, the Chinese avenged that loss making it a forgettable day in the office for both siblings, who found themselves on the losing side
Koneru Humpy drew with black pieces against old rival Kateryna Lagno