The 2024 Candidates Tournament commenced with a gruelling opening day, where all five from the Indian contingent played out draws on what was a draw-dominated affair in Canada’s Toronto. Of the eight matches, only one match produced a winner.
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, among India’s biggest hopes after becoming the youngest-ever runner-up of the World Cup last year, faced French-Iranian Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in his opening match.
Playing with black pieces, the 18-year-old prodigy made an impression against an experienced Firouzja, who was making his second appearance in this competition after finishing sixth in the 2022 edition. The match lasted 39 moves.
The other four Indians competed among compatriots, in accordance with how the competition is being scheduled, where players from the same nation face each other in the initial rounds of this double round-robin tournament.
D Gukesh, the youngest Indian at the Candidates Tournament, faced initial difficulties against a 29-year-old Vidit Gujrathi, but eventually overcame the precarious situation to get a draw. R Vaishali, Praggnanandhaa’s sister, faced Koneru Humpy in what was a 41-move affair, which ended in a draw as well.
Elsewhere, there were a few surprising results from the opening day. Defending Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi was held to a draw by Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abasov, who would not have featured in this competition had Magnus Carlsen not withdrawn his participation.
Meanwhile, in the women’s section, Lei Tingjie, who won the previous instalment of the competition, was defeated by fellow Chinese GM Tan Zhongyi. The other two matches in the women’s section – Aleksandra Goryachkina vs Kateryna Lagno and Anna Muzychuk vs Nurgyul Salimova – ended in draws.
The open section saw another battle among national compatriots, with two Americans – Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura – crossing swords. Despite a strong start, Caruana could not secure a win in that battle.
2024 Candidates Tournament, Day 1 Results:
Fabiano Caruana drew against Hikaru Nakamura
Nijat Abasov drew against Ian Nepomniachtchi
Alizera Firouzja drew against R Praggnanandhaa
D Gukesh drew against Vidit Gujrathi
Aleksandra Goryachkina drew against Kateryna Lagno
Anna Muzychuk drew against Nurgyul Salimova
Lei Tingjie lost against Tan Zhongyi
R Vaishali drew against Koneru Humpy
(Players mentioned on the right played with black pieces)
Praggnanandhaa vs Gukesh on Day 2
On the second day of the competition, India’s two prized teenagers, Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh will stand in each other’s way, while Vidit Gujrathi will be up against Hikaru Nakamura.
In the women’s section, Vaishali will face a stern test against Tan Zhongyi – the solitary winner on Day 1, who is also the reigning Chinese women’s champion. Humpy will be facing Kateryna Lagno.
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