E-Paper
Candidates tournament 2024: Gutsy Praggnanandhaa gets first win
Praggnanandhaa took down Vidit with Black, sibling Vaishali too found her first win at the Candidates
It was a relatively quiet day at the Candidates tournament in Round 3 with only Indian siblings Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali, coming away with wins. The first brother-sister duo at the tournament had lost their respective games in the previous round. The rest of the games ended in draws, though a few had their anxious moments and missed opportunities.
Unfazed by his risks not paying off against Gukesh in Round 2, Praggnanandhaa opted for an unorthodox opening with the Black pieces and unfurled complications against fellow Indian Vidit Gujrathi. With a provocative, rarely used 4...f5?!, opening, considered a dubious response to the Ruy Lopez, Praggnanandhaa aggressively challenged Vidit for control over the centre. Vidit may have been a bit thrown off a bit by Praggnanandhaa’s choice but took up the battle with a fair amount of courage. While most players would prefer to take the quieter route and find a sure footing after a loss, Praggnanandhaa chose not to heed convention or popular wisdom. It was clear he was playing for a win. Complications deepened on the board, and Vidit made a few mistakes offering up two of his pawns. Vidit ended up being banished to extended periods of thought. In the absence of a time increment, deep calculations over the board in such complex positions are often not entirely feasible. White’s position soon collapsed and Praggnanandhaa took a full point for his enterprising play.
Playing with White, India’s D Gukesh, among the early tournament leaders alongside Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana, agreed to a draw with two-time World Championship challenger Nepomniachtchi. Though the position appeared drawish, White may have had a tiny chance to play for a win. Right before they reached time control (move 40), the clock assigned Gukesh appeared to have malfunctioned and the arbiter was called to have a look after move 39. The players agreed to a draw right after they resumed play.
Hikaru Nakamura played out a draw against Nijat Abasov, the lowest seed in the Open section. Both had lost their previous Round 2 games and Abasov was reportedly unwell and was seen leaving the venue soon after the game.
Vaishali too got her first win in the tournament in Round 3, much like her brother. After her loss to tournament leader Tan Zhongyi in Round 2, Vaishali received a boost from the knight sacrifice (14.Nxf7) and was up four pawns in an endgame with opposite colour rooks and bishops. Her opponent - lowest seed and fellow first-timer at the Candidates - Nurgyul Salimova, resigned after 33 moves.
Humpy managed to stall Tan’s flawless run of points and they played out a draw. Humpy though wasn’t pleased with the game: “I am not satisfied with this result today. It is not about the draw, but I couldn’t continue the game. I think she (Tan) is very well prepared and I failed in out-preparing her,” Humpy said after the game.
Round 3 results
Open
Nijat Abasov 1/2Hikaru Nakamura
Alireza Firouzja 1/2Fabiano Caruana
D Gukesh 1/2 Ian Nepomniachtchi
Vidit Gujrathi 0-1 R Praggnanandhaa
Women
Anna Muzychuk1/2Kateryna Lagno
Lei Tingjie 1/2Aleksandra Goryachkina
Vaishali R 1-0 Nurgyul Salimova
Koneru Humpy 1/2Tan Zhongy
Round 4 pairings:
Open
Hikaru Nakamura - Praggnanandhaa R
Ian Nepomniachtchi - Vidit Santosh Gujrathi
Fabiano Caruana - Gukesh D
Nijat Abasov - Alireza Firouzja
Women
Kateryna Lagno - Tan Zhongyi
Nurgyul Salimova - Humpy Koneru
Aleksandra Goryachkina - Vaishali Rameshbabu
Anna Muzychuk - Lei Tingjie
Where to watch: Fide YouTube channel
When: April 7 14:30 EST (midnight IST)
