After a forgettable day for India’s prodigious chess siblings, R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, the brother-sister duo had a rewarding Day 3 at the 2024 Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada. Across the eight boards in the two sections, Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali were the only two to secure full points.
Coming into this match on the back of a defeat to Indian compatriot D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa played an aggressive game against Vidit, who was riding high on confidence after a stunning victory over the United States of America’s Hikaru Nakamura.
What perhaps unsettled Vidit is Praggnanandhaa’s Scheimann defence to Ruy Lopez – an attacking option that is rarely deployed. The match lasted 45 moves before Vidit had to concede defeat. Explaining his strategy after his win, Praggnanandhaa stated he was looking to do “something interesting.”
As for Vaishali, she faced Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova – the lowest-seeded player in the women’s section – following a defeat to Tan Zhongyi. Like her brother, Vaishali had undisputed control of her match for the majority of its duration, clinching a win after 33 moves.
Elsewhere for the Indian contingent, Gukesh could not get his second consecutive victory after beating Praggnanandhaa, albeit he did have a decent showing against Ian Nepomniachtchi – the defending champion of the Candidates Tournament, who is being touted as among the favourites to win this edition as well. Notably, this battle ran into a technical mishap, with Gukesh’s clock not working correctly as the arbiter had to intervene.
In the women’s section, Koneru Humpy played out her third consecutive draw, albeit she can be content with this result as it came against China’s Tan Zhongyi, who had won both of her first two matches and was fighting for what would have been her third victory on the trot.
Azerbaijan’s Nijat Abasov, the lowest-seeded player in the open section, punched above his weight to get a draw against Nakamura, despite reportedly not being in the pink of health. Fabiano Caruana, meanwhile, could only get a draw against Alireza Firouzja.
In the women’s section, Lei Tingjie held Aleksandra Goryachkina to a draw, while the clash between Anna Muzychuk and Kateryna Lagno ended in a draw as well.
Candidates Tournament Day 3 Results:
Nijat Abasov drew against Hikaru Nakamura
Alireza Firouzja drew against Fabiano Caruana
D Gukesh drew against Ian Nepomniachtchi
Vidit Gujrathi lost against R Praggnanandhaa
Anna Muzychuk drew against Kateryna Lagno
Lei Tingjie drew against Aleksandra Goryachkina
R Vaishali won against Nurgyul Salimova
Konery Humpy drew against Tan Zhongyi
(Players mentioned on the right played with black pieces)
Praggnanandhaa to Face Hikaru Nakamura on Day 4
On Day 4 of the tournament, Gukesh will take on Fabiano Caruana, both of them being the leaderboard leaders with a win and two draws. Vidit will face the other Grandmaster who has got a win and two draws so far – Ian Nepomniachtchi, while Praggnandhaa will be facing a slightly underwhelming Hikaru Nakamura.
In the women’s section, Humpy will be facing Nurgyul Salimova and will aim for what would be her first win of the competition. Vaishali, on the contrary, will face a stern test against the vastly experienced Aleksandra Goryachkina.
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