The second round of the FIDE Candidates brought a day full of excitement. The players, feeling more settled with the playing hall, delivered a day full of decisive games, with six out of eight games producing a winner.
In the FIDE Candidates Tournament, all four games were decisive. The first game to finish today was Vidit’s brilliant spectacle against Hikaru Nakamura. Everything went right for him: first his preparation worked perfectly, and then he managed to build up on another impressive bishop sacrifice. The novelty 8. …c6 in the Berlin Defense was prepared by his team, but Vidit did not reveal who came up with this idea. On the 11th move, the Indian player offered a bishop sacrifice on h3. This piece was poisoned and Nakamura, realizing this, did not capture it. However, this allowed Black to develop an initiative and eventually convert it into a full point. At the post-game press conference, Vidit was brimming with delight, calling this game one of the best ones in his career.
In our Indian derby between two prodigies, Gukesh D gained an upper hand on Praggnanandhaa R. It was a complicated game, requiring precise defence, which Gukesh executed perfectly. Praggnanandhaa’s initiative wore off, allowing Gukesh, playing with Black, to capitalise on his extra material.
The rating favourite of the event, Fabiano Caruana, defeated the underdog Nijat Abasov with a confident manner that did not leave his opponent many opportunities for counterplay. “The game was quite tough; there was a lot of calculation. I think I got a lucky break at the end because he collapsed in a very surprising way by taking on b3, 34. …Bxb3.” He added, “It’s very complicated and it’s the type of advantage where you make one mistake and it completely slips away.”
The last game to finish was the wild encounter between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alireza Firouzja, where Nepomniachtchi’s king marched to the center of the board and surprisingly found shelter from Black’s desperate attack. The players were following the 2022 game between Durarbayli and Rodshtein (which White won) in the Berlin Defense up to move 16. This is when Firouzja deviated and made the bold choice of capturing the pawn on d3. A very interesting position emerged as a result, with White a pawn down and a damaged kingside structure, but with a lot of piece activity and attacking possibilities in compensation. Nepomniachtchi confessed that he was out of concrete preparation after 18. …Qe8, but decided to play h4 on move 19, which is the recommended move in the other lines he remembered. Many wild complications ensued, but Nepomniachtchi was always confident that he was the only one playing for a win.
In the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Tan Zhongyi extended her lead with a second victory. She gradually outplayed Vaishali R, finishing the game off with a knight sacrifice. Tan confessed that she did not use her opening preparation, but was more familiar with the resulting position, which helped her to develop the right plan and execute it.
The rating favourite of the event, Aleksandra Goryachkina, won against Anna Muzychuk, and is now trailing Tan by half a point. She enjoyed a comfortable advantage in the endgame, which emerged from the Slav Defense. “I liked how I played. It was a complicated position, but for Black, it was more difficult to play and my opponent did not manage to defend successfully”, said Goryachkina after the game. When asked about her general plan for this event, she said, “I will be a typical athlete and say that I have a plan and I am following it,” referencing a famous sports meme.
The games between Kateryna Lagno and Humpy Koneru, as well as Nurgyul Salimova and Lei Tingjie, finished in a draw.
The third round of the event will commence on the 6th of April at 14:30 EDT (Toronto).
Standings after Round 2
Open
1-4. Caruana, Gukesh, Nepomniachtchi, Vidit – 1.5
5-8. Abasov, Firouzja, Nakamura, Praggnanandhaa – 0.5
Women’s
1. Tan Zhongyi – 2
2. Goryachkina – 1.5
3-5. Koneru, Salimova, Lagno – 1
6-8. Muzychuk, Lei, Vaishali R – 0.5
The third round of the event will commence on the 6th of April at 14:30 EDT (Toronto).
Standings after Round 2
Open
1-4. Caruana, Gukesh, Nepomniachtchi, Vidit – 1.5
5-8. Abasov, Firouzja, Nakamura, Praggnanandhaa – 0.5
Women’s
1. Tan Zhongyi – 2
2. Goryachkina – 1.5
3-5. Koneru, Salimova, Lagno – 1
6-8. Muzychuk, Lei, Vaishali R – 0.5
Pairings of Round 3:
Open
Abasov - Nakamura
Firouzja - Caruana
Gukesh D - Nepomniachtchi
Vidit - Praggnanandhaa R
Women’s
Anna Muzychuk - Lagno
Lei - Goryachkina
Vaishali R - Salimova
Koneru - Tan
Written by WGM Anna Burtasova
Photos: Michal Walusza, Maria Emelianova
Open
Abasov - Nakamura
Firouzja - Caruana
Gukesh D - Nepomniachtchi
Vidit - Praggnanandhaa R
Women’s
Anna Muzychuk - Lagno
Lei - Goryachkina
Vaishali R - Salimova
Koneru - Tan
Written by WGM Anna Burtasova
Photos: Michal Walusza, Maria Emelianova
