Lording over: Nepomniachtchi’s 44-move win over Gujrathi put him on high, whereas Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa, background, performed out a draw. Photo: FIDE
Ian Nepomniachtchi moved into the sole lead of the FIDE Candidates chess match in Toronto on Sunday. The Russian, who gained the final two editions of the occasion, defeated Vidit Gujrathi within the fourth spherical.
Nepomnichtchi has three factors. Top seed Fabiano Caruana and D. Gukesh are in second with 2.5 factors apiece after their recreation resulted in a draw. All the others are on 1.5 factors.
In the ladies’s match, China’s Tan Zhongyi maintained her sole lead with three factors after drawing with Russia’s Kateryna Lagno.
Another Russian, Aleksandra Goryachkina, who drew with R. Vaishali, is within the second spot with 2.5 factors. Vaishali and Koneru Humpy, who was shocked by Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova, are languishing within the backside half with 1.5 factors every.
Salimova, who’s rated greater than 100 factors under Humpy, gained in 62 strikes. The Indian, who performed black, was two pawns down in a rook-and-minor-piece ending.
“I was out of my preparation very early on and Humpy surprised me in the opening with her fifth move,” Salimova stated.
“But the position later turned into something that I have checked. So, it was not like I was completely unfamiliar. When she started pushing the pawns, it looked scary, but it felt like I was always in control.”
All the opposite three video games within the ladies’s part have been drawn.
In the Open occasion too, there was just one decisive end result — Nepomniachtchi’s 44-move win over Gujrathi, who slumped to his second straight defeat, after scoring a shocking victory towards second seed Hikaru Nakamura.
The match will resume on Tuesday after a day’s relaxation.
The outcomes, fourth spherical:
Open: Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 1.5 drew with R. Praggnanandhaa 2; Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE) 3 bt Vidit Gujrathi 1.5; Fabiano Caruana (USA) 2.5 drew with D. Gukesh 2.5; Nijat Abasov (Aze) 1.5 drew with Alireza Firouzja (Fra) 1.5.
Women: Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE) 2.5 drew with R. Vaishali 2; Nurgyul Salimova (Bul) 2 Koneru Humpy 1.5. Kateryna Lagno (FIDE) 2 drew with Tan Zhongyi (Chn) 3; Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) 1.5 drew with Lei Tingjie (Chn) 1.5.
