Candidates Round 11: Sindarov, Vaishali Solidify Leads

All games in the Open were drawn today. I’m sure this was agreeable to GM Javokhir Sindarov, as it puts him that much closer to clinching his prize. This being said, GM Fabiano Caruana put a lot of pressure on the leader, while GM Anish Giri also had good prospects against GM Andrey Esipenko.

Graphic courtesy of FIDE

Had both Giri and Caruana converted, we could be looking at a much closer race. The only player who was clearly winning this round was GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, but good form has continuously eluded him after his excellent first round win, and he was unable to snag the point.

Caruana had an unexpected chance to close the gap with Sindarov, but was unable to keep the pressure on. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Caruana managed to surprise Sindarov with his opening choice, and for the first time since the first round, it looked as if the young Uzbek was under some serious pressure. Caruana had serious chances, but was never quite winning, and Sindarov’s active defense proved enough to secure a draw.

Sindarov's expression tells the story! (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Giri decided not to veer from his usual technical style, aiming for an isolated pawn position that Esipenko opted for a couple times earlier in the event.

For a moment, it looked like Giri was going to make things interesting, but it was not to be. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

At first it looked harmless, but after a couple of inaccuracies it looked like Giri was in the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, the Dutchman couldn’t find the best way to press, and Esipenko was able to fend him off with few problems.

GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Wei Yi were the first to finish, with the players discovering a repetition shortly out of theory.

Praggnanandhaa’s game against GM Matthias Bluebaum was a wild affair, with the Indian player having several chances to secure a won game. This just doesn’t seem to be Pragg’s event, however, and he went astray just when it looked like he was about to convert.

Praggnanandhaa knew it was there, but wasn't able to find it. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Bluebaum has shown quite a few times in this event that his defense is quite tenacious, and he’ll rarely miss an opportunity to get back in the game.

The Women’s event also had mostly peaceful results, with the lone exception being tournament leader GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, who created some space between her and the field by taking advantage of a tactical oversight by GM Aleksandra Goryachkina.

Graphic courtesy of FIDE

Although a one-point lead is a lot less safe than Sindarov’s two-point gap, Vaishali has scored five points out of her last six games, and she will be extremely difficult to stop in her current form.

Vaishali's tactical radar continued to impress as she pounced on Goryachkina's "natural" error to extend her lead. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Niki Riga)

Goryachkina – Vaishali was quite an even affair for quite a while, but Goryachkina ended up getting an awkward rook that was stuck in the center. After one innocuous -looking move, the rook couldn’t escape, and the exceedingly sharp Indian player was quick to pounce. Once winning material, she converted with ease, thus extending her tournament lead.

GM Kateryna Lagno’s game against GM Anna Muzychuk was an even affair the whole way through, and a drawn result was never really in doubt.

GM Zhu Jiner got a seemingly favorable version of a Maroczy Bind against GM Divya Deshmukh, but she got outplayed in the middlegame and was actually worse at one point.

Fans of Maroczy Bind structures had a lot to enjoy during Zhu – Divya, despite the peaceful outcome. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Divya decided against entering complications, however, and the game was soon decided by a repetition.

GM Tan Zhongyi was able to put pressure on GM Bibisara Assaubayeva the entire game, but it seemed as if Assaubayeva was holding her off.

Tan Zhongyi (L) was unable to claim her first win of the event against Bibisara Assaubayeva on Saturday. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Niki Riga)

After defending resiliently the whole game, however, the Kazakh blundered late in the rook endgame. It looked as if Tan might notch her first win, but one inaccuracy threw away her chance, and Assaubayeva never let her have another one.

Despite the action, with all draws in the Open section it feels as if Sindarov’s lead is even more unassailable. Vaishali’s win also pulls her apart from the field, although with only one point between her and second place, one loss could still pull her back to earth. Are the tournaments decided, or are there more surprises in store? Tune in on Sunday to find out!

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