FIDE Candidates Round 10 Recap: Lei Tingjie Joins the Lead.

The 10th round of the 2024 FIDE Candidates didn't alter the top standings in the Open section, with Gukesh D and Ian Nepomniachtchi holding firm with draws. However, the round was a boon for Americans Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, who both secured crucial victories to inch closer to the leaders, now sharing third to fifth place with Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. In the Women's section, Lei Tingjie's impressive win tied her with Tan Zhongyi at the top, intensifying the race as the tournament approaches its final stages.

In the Open section, the Indian contingent played it safe; Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi quickly drew their game, conserving energy for the battles ahead. In the previous round too, Praggnanandhaa settled early with Gukesh. Meanwhile, Hikaru Nakamura took full advantage of his matchup against Nijat Abasov, gaining a full point to improve his standings and recover from his loss in the 9th round.

The clash of leaders took place on board 3 between Nepomniachtchi and Gukesh. Despite Gukesh’s somewhat offbeat Cozio Defense, the game progressed evenly, maintaining the status quo on the leaderboard.

Finally, on board 4, Fabiano Caruana eagerly engaged in a sharp Sicilian Najdorf. His game became the highlight of the round, featuring a novelty on the seventh move. Let's explore it in more detail.

Switching to the Women’s section, the battles were no less fierce. Tournament leader Tan Zhongyi faced off against Koneru Humpy in a game that swung back and forth before settling into a drawn Rook endgame despite Humpy's extra pawn. Board 2 saw Kateryna Lagno and Anna Muzychuk push each other to the limits, drawing only after a long and exhausting 60 moves.

The most crucial battle of the day turned out to be Aleksandra Goryachkina vs Lei Tingjie. Once again, we were shown how complex endgames can be. Goryachkina's error on the 61st move conceded an otherwise balanced game and allowed Lei to claim a crucial win, thus joining Tan Zhongyi in the lead.

Lastly, the match between Nurgyul Salimova and Rameshbabu Vaishali turned into a dramatic contest. Both players had their winning chances but it was Vaishali who ultimately seized the opportunity to secure a vital win after a challenging series of games.

Game Annotations by Zaven Andriasyan

Photos by Michal Walusza / FIDE Flickr Page