The first round of the 2024 Candidates Tournament was concluded overnight, which this year is being staged in Toronto and sees the absolute top stars and those of the female category involved for the first time in the same place. In fact, there are no longer four, but eight matches to follow throughout the days that will take us up to April 21st (22nd in the case of play-offs).
There were no major emotions among the eight “heavyweights” of the world rankings, those who aim to challenge Ding Liren in the next World Championship match. Really bland deals between Nijat Abasov and Ian Nepomniachtchiwith the Russian not spending much against the Azerbaijani, and in the first of the Indian derbies, the one between D Gukesh e Vidit Gujrathi: in these two cases position repetitions arrive at the 29th and 21st move. This is the ideal system to divide the point equally if there is not much desire to fight.
Fabiano Caruanahowever, in the comparison everything made in the USA against Hikaru Nakamura, does not exploit a small advantage created with the extra pawn shortly after the 20th move at the end of an interesting development of the Sicilian Defense. They end up implementing the triple repetition of position too Alireza Firouzja and Praggnanandhaabut only after the Frenchman, due to time constraints, does not find a good continuation on the 31st move.
Chess: the 2024 Candidates Tournament begins in Toronto. Caruana and Nakamura favourites, first time for men and women in the same venue
At the same time, the women’s tournament has started, in which the aim is to challenge the other half of the Chinese side that holds the world title, Ju Wenjun. They went for the triple repetition of position Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina in the Russian comparison and Humpy Koneru and Vaishali Rameshbabu in the one between the Indians (no thrills in the two matches, it must be said). With little chance of making a breakthrough between one and the other, the same system also applies to Ukraine Anna Muzychuk and Bulgarian Nurgyul Salimova.
The first full point seen at the Toronto Great Hall, however, is made by Tan Zhongyi against his compatriot Lei Tingjie. Decisive, after entering the positional line of the Queen’s Gambit Rejected, is a true self-entrapment of the player’s King with White, which comes at the end of a long and exhausting defense in the inferior position. The abandonment becomes forced after 52 moves and one last vain attempt at counterplay.
1° TURNO – OPEN
CARUANA-NAKAMURA
ABASOV-NEPOMNIACHTCHI
FIROUZJA-PRAGGNANANDHAA
GUKESH-VIDIT
1st SHIFT – WOMEN
GORYACHKINA-LAGNO
MUZYCHUK-SALIMOVA
LEI TINGJIE-TAN ZHONGYI
VAISHALI-KONERU
2024-04-05 08:19:31
#men #draws #among #women #Tan #Zhongyi #wins
