The Indian duo of D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa have performed quite well at the 2024 Candidates tournament in Toronto to the surprise of many amid the legendary Viswanathan Anand feeling Indians were a “long shot” given the fierce nature of their competitors.

India have not entered this tournament as firm favourites, both Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa have held themselves together despite difficulties but it’s a different case for Vidit Gujrathi, who  is now a favourite after his
thrilling win over world No.3 Hikaru Nakamura
.

With four rounds done out of 14, there are 10 more games still to play. Things have been going well for the Indians but not in the purest way possible.

Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, who has to play under the FIDE flag due to sanctions against his country, is sitting firmly at the top of the table on three points out of a possible four and he could not have hoped for a better start to his campaign.

With victories against Gujrathi and Firouza Alireza of France and two draws, the Russian got a heads-up to what could possibly be a third attempt to fight for the crown of world champion.

Candidates Chess 2024 |
All you need to know

Historically, no one has ever won the candidates three times in a row.

Nepomniachtchi became the first sole leader in the event following his second victory with white pieces and he is now followed by Fabiano Caruana and Gukesh on 2.5 points apiece.

Praggnanandhaa is not far behind on two points holding the fourth spot while Gujrathi, Abasov, Alireza and Nakamura have an identical 1.5 points each. The youngster has his mother, Nagalakshmi, travelling with him like usual and counts her as a big emotional support.

“It’s important to have someone in the room, especially when you lose. I am grateful for her support,” he said in an interaction with FIDE’s official website.

If anyone had asked Gukesh about his start in the tournament, he would probably have settled for 2.5 out of four but then it is hard to imagine that he would have envisaged Nepomniachtchi being just ahead of him.

However, the Indian stalwart is close and has shown steely nerves especially when he beat Praggnanandhaa out of a no man’s land kind of position. His chances depend on whether he collapses after a bad day.

One person who gives a knee-jerk reaction to bad result is the 18-year old Praggnanandhaa.

Bouncing back from a bad loss against Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa has earned the respect he deserves at the highest level and his chances will depend on his acumen to deal with any position that arrives on board.

Caruana still remains a feared contender given his history and pedigree. However, one cannot rule out the fact that he has not had a dominating start despite being the hot favourite and top seed.

Nakamura, who is also an ardent streamer, does not seem as focused as others but still a couple of good games can see him bouncing back in the scheme of things. For Gujrathi, the road might be tough but as everyone saw in the FIDE Grand Swiss, the Indian has too much fire power and will come back roaring.

Pairings round 5: Firouza Alireza (FRA, 1.5) vs Hikaru Nakamura (USA); D Gukesh (IND) vs Nijat Abasov (AZE); Vidit Gujrathi (IND) vs Fabiano Caruana (USA); R Praggnanandhaa (IND) vs Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE).

With PTI inputs