Well-prepared: Gujrathi, proper, proved too good for Nakamura. Photo: FIDE
Vidit Gujrathi shocked second seed Hikaru Nakamura within the second spherical of the Candidates chess event in Toronto on Friday.
The day’s three different video games within the Open part additionally produced decisive outcomes, in sharp distinction to the primary day when all of the video games have been drawn.
In the ladies’s occasion, China’s Tan Zhongyi posted her second win on the trot. She is on two factors, half-a-point forward of Russian Aleksandra Goryachkina.
In the Open event, 4 gamers share the lead in these very early days — one other 12 rounds stay. Gujrathi, Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi, D. Gukesh and high seed Fabiano Caruana of the United States have 1.5 factors every.
Gukesh joined the leaders after accounting for R. Praggnanandhaa in a a lot anticipated conflict between two Chennai-based Indian youngsters. The youthful participant — although solely by 9 months — gained in 33 strikes from the black facet of a Catalan Opening.
Gujrathi’s victory towards Nakamura was, after all, the day’s spotlight. Not simply because the American’s final defeat in a classical sport of chess was in 2022, to China’s Ding Liren the present World champion, within the remaining spherical of the Candidates event. Nakamura, since then, went undefeated for 47 video games.
That was till he ran right into a well-prepared Gujrathi, who, enjoying black, supplied to sacrifice his bishop as early because the eleventh transfer, a novelty within the Ruy Lopez sport.
The American resigned one other 18 strikes later, following a found examine by the dominant Gujrathi, who later thanked his staff of seconds for his or her assist in the preparation.
In the ladies’s occasion, India’s Koneru Humpy drew with Russia’s Kateryna Lagno, whereas R. Vaishali, Praggnanandhaa’s elder sister, went all the way down to the chief, Tan.
The outcomes, second spherical:
Open: Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 0.5 misplaced to Vidit Gujrathi 1.5; R. Praggnanandhaa 0.5 misplaced to D. Gukesh 1.5.
Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE) 1.5 bt Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 0.5; Fabiano Caruana (USA) 1.5 bt Nijat Abasov (Aze) 0.5.
Women: Tan Zhongyi (Chn) 2 bt R. Vaishali; Aleksandra Goryachkina (FDE) 1.5 bt Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 0.5; Kateryna Lagno (FIDE) 1 drew with Koneru Humpy 1; Nurgyul Salimova (Bul) 1 drew with Lei Tingjie (Chn) 0.5.
Nakamura’s final defeat in a classical sport was in 2022, since then he has been undefeated in 47 video games
In the ladies’s occasion, Zhongyi posted her second win on the trot
