D. Gukesh maintained his shared lead by drawing against the United States’ Hikaru Nakamura in the sixth round of the Candidates tournament held in Toronto.
Sharing the top position with defending champion Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia, D. Gukesh remained on 3.5 points after drawing with Hikaru Nakamura. Meanwhile, Nepomniachtchi drew against Fabiano Caruana, the top seed from the United States. Following closely behind the leaders, both Caruana and R. Praggnanandhaa secured victories, placing them half a point behind at 3 points.
Vidit Gujrathi had a standout performance, securing his second consecutive victory by defeating Alireza Firouzja of France, showcasing resilience after two back-to-back losses. However, the day proved disappointing for India in the women’s tournament. Koneru Humpy suffered a defeat against China’s Lei Tingjie, and R. Vaishali lost to Russian Kateryna Lagno. All four boards saw decisive outcomes, with Tan Zhongyi defeating Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine and Aleksandra Goryachkine of Russia triumphing over Bulgarian Nurgyul Salimova.
Tan maintained her solo lead with 4.5 points, edging half a point ahead of the second-placed Goryachkina. Meanwhile, Humpy held two points, and Vaishali secured 2.5 points.
Strong move
Gukesh encountered the Sicilian Defense from Nakamura, leading to a decision to split the point after 40 moves. Reflecting on the game, Gukesh commented, “I believed I had a slight advantage in the opening, but his 14th move proved to be very strong. After that, I couldn’t identify any significant opportunities for White.”
Gujrathi also faced the Sicilian Defense but managed to secure a full point against the unpredictable Firouzja.
Following his victory in 40 moves, Gujrathi remarked about his opponent, “He is currently on -3, and the tournament isn’t going his way. It’s understandable; sometimes emotions can come into play when you’re on a downward spiral.”
The results (sixth round):
Open: Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE) drew with Fabiano Caruana (USA) in a match where Nepomniachtchi maintained his lead with 4 points against Caruana’s 3.5 points. Meanwhile, D. Gukesh also secured a draw against Hikaru Nakamura (USA), maintaining his 4-point lead against Nakamura’s 3 points. R. Praggnanandhaa clinched a victory with 3.5 points by defeating Nijat Abasov (Aze), who stood at 1.5 points. Additionally, Vidit Gujrathi secured a win with 3 points against Alireza Firouzja (Fra), who held 1.5 points.
Women:Tan Zhongyi (Chn) secured a victory with 4.5 points against Anna Muzychuk (Ukr), who held 2 points. Nurgyul Salimova (Bul) lost to Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE) with a score of 2.5 points against Goryachkina’s 4 points. R. Vaishali suffered a defeat with 2.5 points against Kateryna Lagno (FIDE), who had 3.5 points. Koneru Humpy also faced a loss with 2 points against Lei Tingjie (Chn), who scored 3 points.
