The sixth round of the prestigious Candidates 2024 chess tournament brought mixed results for India. While Vidit Gujrathi and R. Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious, Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali faced defeat.
Vidit Gujrathi’s Comeback at Candidates 2024
Vidit Gujrathi, after a tough run in the previous rounds, made a strong comeback by defeating Alireza Firouzja. Vidit’s win was a significant boost, not only for him but also for the Indian contingent.
Praggnanandhaa scores his 2nd win at Candidates 2024! In the 6th round, Pragg defeated Nijat Abasov with the White pieces. The Indian Grandmaster managed to outplay his opponent in the middlegame, converting into a winning endgame.
After this win, Praggnanandhaa has 3.5/6… pic.twitter.com/nxCySNt5l1
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) April 11, 2024
R. Praggnanandhaa, the young Indian prodigy, continued his impressive run in the tournament. He secured a win against Nijat Abasov. Praggnanandhaa’s victory was particularly noteworthy as it was one of the only decisive encounters in the Open section in Round 6. With this win, Praggnanandhaa is now half a point behind the leaders, Nepomniachtchi and Gukesh.
Gukesh tops the standings after sixth round at Candidates 2024
Setbacks for Humpy and Vaishali
Over on the women’s side, things aren’t looking as good with both Indian women suffering defeats in round 6. Vaishali lost to Kateryna Lagno, who won her first game of the tournament after two disappointing draws. She now sits sixth in the table with 2.5 points.
World no.5 Koneru Humpy’s rather disappointing tournament continues with the veteran grandmaster losing to Lei Tingjie despite playing with white. She sits in the last position having accumulated just 2 points after 6 rounds. Although things may not seem good for Humpy, there is still a long way to go and she, along with Vaishali will no doubt be determined to make a strong comeback in the upcoming games.
Also Read: India triumphed over Chinese Taipei in the Asia/Oceania Group of Billie Jean King Cup
