Candidates Round 13: Gukesh takes the lead, Zhongyi pulls ahead

On both sides of the Candidates, Rounds 13 and 14 are very important. The field is so tight in the Open Candidates, with 3 leaders, that any break from them this late would be incredibly positive to their chances. Nepomniachtchi and Nakamura went for a fairly quick draw, but it was a historic day as the 17 year old Gukesh beat Firouzja, to take the sole lead in the Candidates. Caruana ground down Praggnanandhaa’s fortress to take a full point, making tomorrow everything to play for in the Open Candidates. Nakamura has his final game against Gukesh, needing a win over him. Meanwhile, a draw by Gukesh would guarantee him at least the tie-breaks. Caruana faces Nepomniachtchi; again a critical pairing for all of these players where both are virtually in a must-win position.

In the Women’s Candidates, Tan Zhongyi took a draw to extend her lead, as Lei Tingjie lost against Vaishali R. Mathematically, Zhongyi is not guaranteed to take the Women’s Candidates title, as if she loses tomorrow and Tingjie wins, tiebreaks will be guaranteed. However, with a pairing against Muzychuk, who has looked vulnerable this tournament, just a draw from ZHongyi is enough to make her lead unassailable.

As well as broadcasting the live games from the two tournaments, Lichess is providing a live stream for every day of the Candidates. Make sure to tune in to our Twitch or YouTube channels, with streams starting from 14:15 Toronto time (18:15 UTC).

*We’re also providing daily annotations on some of the games from GM Brandon Jacobson and IM / WGM Padmini Rout. The full study can be found here.

Mehr …