Decisive Battles Round 11 of the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournaments witnessed three decisive games out of four in both the open and women’s sections, shaking up the leaderboards.
Open Section In the open section, Ian Nepomniachtchi regained the sole lead after a hard-fought win with the black pieces against Vidit Gujrathi. Hikaru Nakamura also scored a crucial victory over Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, leaving him half a point behind the leader. Gukesh Dommaraju settled for a draw against Fabiano Caruana, maintaining his position half a point behind Nepomniachtchi.
Women’s Section The women’s event witnessed Tan Zhongyi reclaiming the sole lead with a win over Kateryna Lagno. Lei Tingjie kept herself in contention, escaping a lost position against Anna Muzychuk. Top seed Aleksandra Goryachkina’s chances took a hit after a loss to the young Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Decisive Tournament With 19 wins through 11 rounds, this Candidates Tournament has been the most decisive in history since the current format’s inception in 2013. Interestingly, despite the close race, there is a two-thirds chance of avoiding tiebreaks and determining an outright winner, according to statistical analysis.
Blitz Pastime In a surprising development, several candidates participated in Chess.com’s Titled Tuesday blitz event during the rest day, including Nakamura, Caruana, and Firouzja. This practice, once considered sacrilegious during such events, has now become a pastime for some players, helping them stay sharp and maintain their focus.
Crucial Rounds Ahead With three rounds remaining, the race for the prestigious Candidates spots intensifies. Caruana acknowledged the importance of his remaining two whites, while Nepomniachtchi and Tan Zhongyi will look to maintain their leads and secure their places in the next World Championship cycle.
As the Candidates Tournaments approach their climax, chess fans worldwide eagerly await the decisive battles that will determine the challengers for the world championship titles.
