FIDE Candidates Round 6 Recap: The Leaders Hold Their Ground

April 12, 2024, 3:11 p.m.

Round 6 of the FIDE Candidates 2024 didn't shake up the leaderboard, but it delivered plenty of captivating chess games in both the Women’s and Open sections. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Gukesh D drew their games to continue co-leading the Open section. In the Women's section, Chinese GM Tan Zhongyi clinched a crucial victory to maintain her solo lead, on a day that saw four decisive games.

Vidit - Round 6

The Open section featured a mix of intense fights and strategic draws. Caruana and Nepomniachtchi settled quickly for a draw on the first board. Both players seemed satisfied with the result. Board 2 saw Gukesh D facing off against Nakamura in a Hyper Accelerated Dragon, where the American GM displayed solid defense, quickly equalized, and steered the game into a Rook endgame, leading to a peaceful draw.

The remaining two games ended decisively with Praggnanandhaa taking a full point against Abasov after the latter made a crucial mistake on the 40th move. The highlight of the round came from Board 3, where Alireza Firouzja faced a challenging position against Vidit Gujrathi. After accepting a pawn sacrifice, Firouzja's position crumbled quickly leading to a one-sided game. Let's explore the game in more detail.

The Women's section had an equally thrilling round with 3 out of 4 games finishing in Black's favor. yet more subdued. Aleksandra Goryachkina demonstrated excellent endgame technique against Nurgyul Salimova and gradually outplayed her opponent. Lei Tingjie went for the King’s Indian Defense and managed to earn a full point against Humpy Koneru. Meanwhile, on the 4th board, Rameshbabu Vaishali had a rough game from the start and quickly conceded the game to Kateryna Lagno.

The only win with white pieces came from the tournament leader, Tan Zhongyi, who showcased a masterclass in positional play against Anna Muzychuk. Let's revisit this game that allowed China's former world champion to maintain the sole lead in the Candidates event.

Game Annotations by Zaven Andriasyan

Photos by Michal Walusza / FIDE Flickr Page

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FIDE Candidates Round 6 Recap: The Leaders Hold Their Ground

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