Russian Chess Federation (RFC) Vice President Sergei Smagin spoke about the match between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Indian Vidit Gujrati in the 11th round of the Candidates Tournament, which the Russians won with black. In his comments to socialbites.ca, Smagin stated that at one point Vidit failed to take advantage of this advantage and lost control of the game.
“Ian’s task was to play reliably and not lose, both on his debut and in his position in the tournament. He understood very well that Vidit would play to win until the end and he was ready for it. At one point the position was equal, then maybe Yang underestimated some initiatives. But in principle everything revolved around equality.
At a certain point in the game, Vidit played very enterprisingly and took the initiative. But he couldn’t find a strengthening position and started moving it in place. There was no more victory – most likely he had to accept a draw, he had many such opportunities. But, as they say in chess, he began to “force” the position and lost control. And when I woke up I realized I had to save myself, I was confused. This happens often: you apply pressure, victory is close, the opponent defends himself – and Yan defended himself well, always looking for his chance. And Vidit simply ‘swam’, missing mating threats and disintegrating in a few moves,” Smagin said.
After 11 rounds, Nepomniachtchi became the sole leader of the candidates tournament, having collected seven points. Hikaru Nakamura and Gukesh Dommaraju are half a point behind him. Yang will play against Indian representative Rameshbabu Pragnanandha on Thursday, April 18, the match will start at 21:30 Moscow time.
Former father of chess player Firouzja removed A member of the audience during a match in the Candidates Tournament.
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Source: Gazeta
Gregory Robert is a sports aficionado and a writer for “Social Bites”. He provides in-depth coverage of the latest sporting events and trends, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the world of sports.