Ian Nepomniachtchi Maintains Lead in Toronto

Round 9 was played.

Round 9 of the FIDE Candidates finished in Toronto.

Santosh Vidit's win over Hikaru Nakamura was the only decisive game of the round. Ian Nepomniachtchi managed to hold his own in a difficult position against Alireza Firouzja, while his co-leader Dommaraju Gukesh settled amicably with Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Nijat Abasov played very reliably as White against Fabiano Caruana - this game also ended in a draw. 

Standings after Round 9:

1-2. Dommaraju Gukesh, Ian Nepomniachtchi – 5.5
3. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa – 5
4-6. Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi – 4.5 
7. Alireza Firouzja – 3.5 
8. Nijat Abasov – 3.

Round 10 pairings:

Nepomniachtchi – Gukesh
Praggnanandhaa – Vidit
Caruana – Firouzja
Nakamura – Abasov

In the women's tournament, Aleksandra Goryachkina vs. Anna Muzychuk was a draw, and Kateryna Lagno vs. Humpy Koneru was a tough battle. Both games reached complex endgames in which both opponents were up to the task. Meanwhile, it took Tan Zhongyi only 21 moves to defeat the tournament tail-ender Rameshbabu Vaishali. The game Lei Tingjie vs. Salimova ended in a draw. 

Standings after Round 9:

1. Tan Zhongyi – 6
2-3. Aleksandra Goryachkina, Lei Tingjie – 5.5
4. Kateryna Lagno – 5
5-6. Humpy Koneru, Nurgyul Salimova – 4
7. Anna Muzychuk – 3.5 
8. Rameshbabu Vaishali – 2.5.

Round 10 pairings: 

Tan Zhongyi – Koneru
Goryachkina – Lei Tingjie
Lagno – A. Muzychuk
Salimova – Vaishali

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