TORONTO: Teenage Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will once again have his work cut out for him against France's Firozha Alireza in the final round of the Candidates Chess Tournament in what promises to be a photo-finish here.
Gukesh, with his last white game, will improve his chances significantly in this tournament if he gets past Alireza, who is clearly struggling. With 7 points in his bag, Gukesh is tied with Hikaru Nakamura of the United States and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.
Only two rounds are left in the biggest event of the year.
The most important match of the final round will be between Nepomniacht and Nakamura. The latter is showing top form having won three in a row, while Nepomniachtchi is the only player in the tournament to remain undefeated after 12 grueling games.Apart from these three, Fabiano Caruana is the only player who has a chance to win this competition.
With seven points so far, the American will have to deal with a tough opponent in India's R Praggnanandhaa and eventually Nepomniachtchi in the last round.
Even as Gukesh has a tough opponent to deal with in Nakamura in the final round, a lot will depend on how he performs against the world number three.
Praggnanandhaa had shown signs of a podium finish midway through the tournament, but was unable to reach where he wanted to.
However, the Indian has performed very well and it is only a matter of time before he reaches the top five or even higher in the world rankings.Presently Praggnananda has six issues.
Vidit Gujarati, another Indian, had a great start and his two wins against Nakamura stood out as his best efforts in the tournament.
However, on a few occasions time pressure as well as nerves played a role and the Indian will have to wait for another chance.
It has been a tough decision for Alireza, who has just 4.5 points while Abbasov is bottom of the table with three points.
In the women's category, Zhongyi Tan leads with eight points and her nearest contender is compatriot Tingjie Lei, who is half a point behind.The two leaders are followed by Russia's Alexandra Goryachkina and Katarina Lagno and India's Koneru Humpy with six points each.
R Vaishali is next with 5.5 points, a full point ahead of Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk and Bulgaria's Nurgul Salimova.
Round 13 pairings (Indians unless specified): Vidit Gujarati (5) vs Niza Abbasov (AJE, 3); D Gukesh (7.5) vs Firozha Alireza (FRA, 4.5); R Praggnanandhaa (6) v Fabiano Caruana (USA, 7); Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID, 7.5) vs. Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 7.5).
Women: Zhongyi Tan (CHN, 8) vs. Alexandra Goryachkina (FID, 6); Koneru Humpy (6) vs Anna Muzychuk (UKR, 4.5); R Vaishali (5.5) vs Tingjie Lei (CHN, 7.5);or ssc ssc
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Gukesh, with his last white game, will improve his chances significantly in this tournament if he gets past Alireza, who is clearly struggling. With 7 points in his bag, Gukesh is tied with Hikaru Nakamura of the United States and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.
Only two rounds are left in the biggest event of the year.
The most important match of the final round will be between Nepomniacht and Nakamura. The latter is showing top form having won three in a row, while Nepomniachtchi is the only player in the tournament to remain undefeated after 12 grueling games.Apart from these three, Fabiano Caruana is the only player who has a chance to win this competition.
With seven points so far, the American will have to deal with a tough opponent in India's R Praggnanandhaa and eventually Nepomniachtchi in the last round.
Even as Gukesh has a tough opponent to deal with in Nakamura in the final round, a lot will depend on how he performs against the world number three.
Praggnanandhaa had shown signs of a podium finish midway through the tournament, but was unable to reach where he wanted to.
However, the Indian has performed very well and it is only a matter of time before he reaches the top five or even higher in the world rankings.Presently Praggnananda has six issues.
Vidit Gujarati, another Indian, had a great start and his two wins against Nakamura stood out as his best efforts in the tournament.
However, on a few occasions time pressure as well as nerves played a role and the Indian will have to wait for another chance.
It has been a tough decision for Alireza, who has just 4.5 points while Abbasov is bottom of the table with three points.
In the women's category, Zhongyi Tan leads with eight points and her nearest contender is compatriot Tingjie Lei, who is half a point behind.The two leaders are followed by Russia's Alexandra Goryachkina and Katarina Lagno and India's Koneru Humpy with six points each.
R Vaishali is next with 5.5 points, a full point ahead of Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk and Bulgaria's Nurgul Salimova.
Round 13 pairings (Indians unless specified): Vidit Gujarati (5) vs Niza Abbasov (AJE, 3); D Gukesh (7.5) vs Firozha Alireza (FRA, 4.5); R Praggnanandhaa (6) v Fabiano Caruana (USA, 7); Ian Nepomniachtchi (FID, 7.5) vs. Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 7.5).
Women: Zhongyi Tan (CHN, 8) vs. Alexandra Goryachkina (FID, 6); Koneru Humpy (6) vs Anna Muzychuk (UKR, 4.5); R Vaishali (5.5) vs Tingjie Lei (CHN, 7.5);or ssc ssc
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