Four rounds have been played at the FIDE Candidates in Toronto, and the first rest day is upon us. The players had a chance to experience the April 8th solar eclipse with a Lake Ontario cruise. The tournament continues to be a treat for the fans, with a lot of uncompromising fighting chess and decisive results. Our man of the day is the winner of the two previous FIDE Candidates Tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi, who became the sole leader with a win against Vidit. Ian, playing with White, was pressing Vidit out of the opening, both on the board and on the clock.
“I can’t recall any occasion when I got two Berlins in a row and managed to get a game,” said Nepomniachtchi at the press conference. “11. g4 is a very rare move. 11…Ne7 12. Nh2 was the idea of my team. Nh2 doesn’t look good, but my plan is simple: I push f4-f5 and create some forcing play.”
Later in the game, Vidit failed to coordinate his defensive setup, which allowed Nepomniachtchi to use his central passed pawn and piece activity to seal the deal. With two wins and two draws, the tournament has thus far been a smooth sailing one for the two-time World Championship Challenger.
Hikaru Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa R were the first to finish today. Nakamura, with the white pieces, did not manage to get much out of the opening in the Ruy Lopez and agreed that a draw was the logical result. After the game, fan-favourite Nakamura met fans in the fan zone and spent time graciously signing autographs and taking selfies with his fans. “Oh my God, it’s Hikaru!” exclaimed a fan near the entrance when the American player stepped into the hall. Many spectators have been coming to the venue with chess boards and other memorabilia with hopes of getting autographs. Fans also bought various merchandise available for sale on-site in the fan zone.
The FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament today had the potential to produce three decisive results from some spectacular battles. Unfortunately, only one game lived up to expectations. Nurgyul Salimova, playing with White against Humpy Koneru, bounced back from her defeat yesterday by outplaying her more-experienced opponent.
“I was out of my preparation very early on. She surprised me in the opening with 5…Ne4, 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,” commented Salimova after the game.
Kateryna Lagno, up a pawn, had a winning position against the tournament’s leader, Tan Zhongyi. However, Lagno blundered in time trouble and stormed out of the playing hall after the game finished in a draw. Anna Muzychuk also did not manage to convert her winning position into a full point. This is the second game in a row that the Ukrainian player had to settle for a draw. Similarly to yesterday, the path to victory was not an easy one. One precise move was required in her rook endgame against two passed pawns, and Muzychuk sadly did not manage to find it.
The game between Aleksandra Goryachkina and Vaishali R was a calmer battle. It did not have the surprises and the evaluation swings of the other three games, and the game gradually concluded in a draw. The tournament paused for a rest day. As it stands, Ian Nepomniachtchi is the sole leader in the FIDE Candidates Tournament, and Tan Zhongyi is the clear leader in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.
