Candidates Round 4: Gukesh holds Caruana; Vidit, Humpy lose

Photo : Hindustan times

In Round 4 of the Candidates tournament in Toronto, Canada, India's D Gukesh held top seed Fabiano Caruana to a draw, while Praggnananandhaa played out a draw against world No. 3 Hikaru Nakamura. Gukesh had previously defeated Caruana at the 2022 Olympiad, and Praggnananandhaa had eliminated Nakamura from last year’s World Cup. Nakamura, a pre-tournament favorite, is yet to secure a win, with three draws and a loss so far, placing him at the bottom of the standings.

Among Indian players, 17-year-old Gukesh remains unbeaten, making him the only Indian player with this record in the tournament. He is the second youngest to play in the Candidates after Bobby Fischer.

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Nakamura mentioned, "It's a long tournament... you just stay in contention and you’ll get your chances towards the end." Praggnananandhaa's solid play against Nakamura earned praise, with Nakamura remarking that “the future is looking very bright” for the 18-year-old.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi took the lead after defeating India’s Vidit Gujarathi. Nepomniachtchi, a two-time Candidates winner, is accompanied by his trainer, German Jan Gustafsson. In the women’s section, underdog Nurgyul Salimova managed to defeat India’s Koneru Humpy, while other games ended in draws.

Round 4 Results:
Open:
- Hikaru Nakamura vs. Praggnanandhaa R: Draw
- Ian Nepomniachtchi vs. Vidit Santosh Gujrathi: Nepomniachtchi won
- Fabiano Caruana vs. Gukesh D: Draw
- Nijat Abasov vs. Alireza Firouzja: Draw

Women:
- Kateryna Lagno vs. Tan Zhongyi: Draw
- Nurgyul Salimova vs. Humpy Koneru: Salimova won
- Aleksandra Goryachkina vs. Vaishali Rameshbabu: Draw
- Anna Muzychuk vs. Lei Tingjie: Draw

The following day, April 8, was a rest day for the players. In Round 5, the pairings are as follows:

Open:
- Alireza Firouzja vs. Hikaru Nakamura
- Gukesh D vs. Nijat Abasov
- Vidit Santosh Gujrathi vs. Fabiano Caruana
- Praggnanandhaa R vs. Ian Nepomniachtchi

Women:
- Lei Tingjie vs. Kateryna Lagno
- Vaishali Rameshbabu vs. Anna Muzychuk
- Humpy Koneru vs. Aleksandra Goryachkina
- Tan Zhongyi vs. Nurgyul Salimova

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