FIDE Candidates Round 3 Recap: the Rameshbabu Siblings are the Sole Victors

Round 3 of the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament was a memorable day for the Rameshbabu family! Siblings Praggnanadhaa and Vaishali, competing in the open and women's sections respectively, were the sole victors, as all other games concluded in draws.

On the first board 1 of the open section, Gukesh played the Catalan opening against Ian Nepomniachtchi, and the game quickly reached an even position, resulting in a draw. Board 2 saw Abasov opting for the exchange variation against Nakamura's Slav defense. Both players had a rough day in the previous round, which may have influenced the outcome of their game, resulting in a 29-move draw. On board 3, Caruana tried a tricky line in the Sicilian Rossolimo, with 4...Nd4, but Firouzja held his ground, and the game also ended in a draw without much drama.

Now, let's take a closer look at board 4, featuring another Indian derby between Vidit and Praggnanadhaa.

The women's section, in turn, features a fairly quick draw between Humpy Koneru and Tan Zhongyi, where the players followed the game Atalik-Tregubov (2020) for up to 27 moves. On board 2, Anna Muzychuk failed to find the winning line against Kateryna Lagno. While repeating the moves, she missed the winning line several times and ultimately drew the game in a dramatic fashion. On the third board, Lei Tingjie attempted the aggressive and offbeat Evans Gambit against Aleksandra Goryachkina. However, it didn't have the same impact as it did in the romantic era of chess. Black's solid defense led the game to a draw.

Lastly, let's dive into the only decisive game of the Women's section on board 4: Rameshbabu Vaishali vs Nurgyul Salimova.