Round 11 of the 2024 Candidates Tournament was not one to remember for the three Indians in the open section, as R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi lost their respective games, whilst despite playing out a draw, D Gukesh lost the pole position.
Gukesh, who was tied on 6.5 points at the top with Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi prior to this round, faced the world number 2, Fabiano Caruana. In a game of Queen’s Gambit Declined, the American had time in his favour, as at one stage, the Indian teenager had to make 18 moves in 23 minutes. However, Gukesh managed to come up with answers as the game ended in a draw after 40 moves.
On the contrary, the contest between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Vidit Gujrathi was a marathon which ran for nearly six hours. Despite having early positional advantage with white pieces, Vidit ran into time trouble – a consistent feature with him throughout the tournament – as Nepomniachtchi steadily bounced back to secure what was his third win.
Similar to Vidit, Praggnanandhaa had strong opening preparation in his game against Hikaru Nakamura, with the initial exchanges making it seem like the American was interested in only a draw. Desperate for a result, Praggnanandhaa opted for an aggressive strategy which eventually backfired, with the teenager admitting it was a ‘horrible decision’ to go all out for a win.
Elsewhere in the open section, Alireza Firouzja defeated Nijat Abasov, who, not very long ago, had complained about the French-Iranian Grandmaster’s shoes to the arbiter, leading to a big controversy.
Contrary to the fate of the Indian trio in the open section, the Indian pair of Koneru Humpy and R Vaishali had a rewarding day. The former was involved in a 90-game move where she avenged her earlier defeat against Nurgyul Salimova, whilst the latter defeated Aleksandra Goryachkina – an outcome not many had seed coming, especially considering how the tournament has played out for Vaishali. Goryachkina, however, paid the price of being aggressive, having previously declined to draw by three-fold repetition.
Tan Zhongyi defeated Kateryna Lagno lead the standings all by herself, as fellow Chinese compatriot, Lei Tingjie could only manage a draw against Anna Muzychuk.
Candidates Tournament 2024, Round 11 Results:
R Praggnanandhaa lost against Hikaru Nakamura
Vidit Gujrathi lost against Ian Nepomniachtchi
D Gukesh drew against Fabiano Caruana
Alireza Firouzja won against Nijat Abasov
Tan Zhongyi won against Kateryna Lagno
Koneru Humpy won against Nurgyul Salimova
R Vaishali won against Aleksandra Goryachkina
Lei Tingjie drew against Anna Muzychuk
(Players mentioned on the right played with black pieces)
Gukesh in Second Place
With his win over Vidit Gujrathi, Ian Nepomniachtchi is now the solitary leader in the open section with 7 points. Chasing him are Gukesh and Hikaru Nakamura – both of whom have 6.5 points, albeit the Indian is ahead on Sonneborn-Berger score.
Fabiano Caruana is still in the fray for a late resurgence as he is placed fourth with 6 points. The other two Indians – Praggnanandhaa and Vidit – are fifth and sixth with 5.5 and 5 points respectively. Alireza Firouzja now has 4.5 points, but remains in the seventh place, while with 3 points, Nijat Abasov is at the bottom.
In the women’s section, Tan Zhongyi is placed at the top with 7.5 points, followed by Lei Tingjie with 7 points. Unlike the open section, where everyone in the top four has every reason to believe they can win the tournament, the women’s section is likely to see either of the two Chinese players being crowned the champion.
Kateryna Lagno, Koneru Humpy and Aleksandra Goryachkina have all got 5.5 points, with Sonneborn-Berger score placing Humpy in fourth place, splitting the two Russians. With 4.5 points, Vaishali is in the seventh position, ahead of Nurgyul Salimova but beneath Anna Muzychuk.
Leader Ian Nepomniachtchi To Face Praggnanandhaa in Round 12
Vidit could not facilitate his bid to win the tournament, but yet again, Gukesh will have to hope for assistance from his fellow Indians as in round 12, title favourite Nepomniachtchi will face Praggnanandhaa. Gukesh will be up against the lowest-seeded Abasov, and will be determined to get full points, while Vidit will be competing against Caruana.
In the women’s section, Humpy will be aiming to do to Goryachkina what Vaishali did in round 11, whilst Praggnanandhaa’s sister will be aiming to get her third consecutive win when she takes on Muzychuk.
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