Indian masters R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh will be looking to close the gap on leader Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia when play resumes in the eighth round of the Chess Candidates Championship in Toronto. Teenage star Praggnanandhaa will face Frenchman Firouza Alireza when play resumes on Saturday, while Gukesh will take on compatriot Vidit Gujra Vidit Gujarathi. While all three Indians have performed well in the Open so far, defending champion Nepomniach is most likely to complete his hat-trick at the halfway stage.
Nepomniachi, who scored 4.5 points, was pleased with his performance, half a point ahead of his nearest rivals Pragnananda, Gukesh and top seed Fabiano Caruana of the United States. , becoming the favorite to win the championship.
Gujrathi’s 3.5 points are known to increase towards the end of the game and one can expect him to be on fire in the second half along with Hikaru Nakamura, who shares fifth place with him.
Alireza is seventh in the standings with 2.5 points, half a point ahead of Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abbasov.
It’s a story of less success and more failure for the Indian trio.
Earlier in the match, Gujirati clearly outplayed Caruana, who also looked dominant against Abbasov in the previous round before a draw was reached.
Gukesh also achieved good results in the last round against Alireza, and the Frenchman was also under tremendous pressure when time was running out.
However, luck didn’t seem to be on Gukesh’s side and he made some serious mistakes before handing the points to Alireza.
Praggnanandhaa is very solid and showed tremendous preparation here. His black draw with Caruana in France’s defense was a good example of his immense confidence, and his previous win over Gujrati had already shown his ability to take risks.
Against Alireza, the last game was a draw and Pragnananda will try to exploit his white pieces in the second game.
“I have been playing well and am happy with the quality,” Praggnanandhaa said.
He was quick to list the win against Gujrati as his favorite so far.
“After a loss, it’s very important to do your own thing.” Gukesh will play black against Gujrati, a game that is likely to attract a lot of eyeballs on live television.
For the record, Nepomniac and Caruana are the only two players to remain unbeaten at the halfway stage.
In his past two winning attempts, Nepomnjačić has been leading the way with a fifty percent win rate, and it was no different this time around.
While Caruana is a player who can be at his best at any time, his fans are just waiting for that to happen. Contrary to expectations, India’s challenge in the women’s category did not quite unfold. Many believe that Konery Humpy’s experience and R Vaishali’s fearless play could prove useful for both, but that is yet to show in the first seven games.
Currently, the two of them are at the bottom with 2.5 points each, and the leader Tan Zhongyi has 5 points.
Following Tan Zhongyi is Russian player Aleksandra Goryachkina. It seems that the championship battle will be between these two players.
However, just a few quick wins can still push the Indians forward, which they will hope for.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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