Candidates Chess: Gukesh to clash with Caruana; Praggnanandhaa takes on Nakamura
Toronto (PTI): Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will have his task cut out when he takes on top seed Fabiano Caruana in the 11th round, hoping to consolidate his position at the top as the Candidates chess tournament heads towards its final phase here.
The 17-year-old Gukesh is in joint lead with Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Among other Indians, 18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa will be up against resurgent American Hikaru Nakamura after a rest day.
With just four rounds remaining, it is a level-playing field for the two Indian teenagers while Vidit Gujrathi has kept himself in reckoning and only needs to finish well.
Nepomniachtchi, the only unbeaten player so far, is playing under the FIDE flag and has a tough opposition to tackle in the next two rounds.
Gujrathi meets Nepomniachtchi in the next round followed by Praggnanandhaa and these two matches will probably set the tone of the tournament and might just be pivotal to deciding the next world championship challenger.
For Gukesh, the clash with Caruana is going to be crucial as the Indian has white pieces. If he is able to press for advantage, the onus will be on Caruana to prove his detractors wrong.
The Italian-turned-American is competing in his sixth Candidates tournament in a row but has only won it once.
Gukesh will probably train his eyes on beating the lowest-placed Abasov in the 12th round, provided he gets past Caruana unscathed.
Set to play against the Azerbaijani with black, Gukesh will surely go all-out for a victory even as Abasov has been super solid with his white pieces.
The most crucial line up in the next two rounds, from an Indian perspective, are the two games that Praggnanandhaa is set to play.
The Indian beat Nakamura in the last World Cup and will look forward to an encore, especially taking a cue from Gujrathi who has won both his games against the American.
After Nakamura, it will be a clash against Nepomniachtchi for Praggnanandhaa and if he can withstand the pressure of these two games, one can expect him to be contention for the winner's purse of 48,000 Euros.
In the women's Candidates, the race is between two Chinese players Zhongyi Tan and Tingjie Lei, who have proved superior to the rest.
While the men's event has seen some really deep preparation, the skills have been the go-to factor in the women's event.
In theory, Koneru Humpy might still be in with a chance but practically, the Indian challenge has almost ended in this section.
With the two leaders on 6.5 points each, Russians Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno are the closest in pursuit with 5.5 points apiece.
Humpy on 4.5 holds the distant fifth spot and needs a miracle.
The other Indian, R Vaishali won her last game against Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria but remains on the last spot.
Pairings round 11 (Indians unless specified):
D Gukesh (6) vs Fabiano Caruana (USA, 5.5); Vidit Gujrathi (5) vs Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE, 6); R Praggnanandhaa (5.5) vs Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 5.5); Firouza Alireza (FRA, 3.5) vs Nijat Abasov (AZE, 3).
Women’s: Koneru Humpy (4.5) vs Nurgyuaal Salimova (BUL, 4); R Vaishali (3.5) vs Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE, 5.5); Zhongyi Tan (6.5) vs Kateryna Lagno (FIDE, 5.5); Tingjei Lei (CHN, 6.5) vs Anna Muzychuk (UKR, 4).
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Mann has 'understanding' with Amit Shah to split AAP after Lok Sabha polls, claims SAD chief Badal
Sangrur (Punjab), May 11: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has an "understanding" with Union Home Minister Amit Shah to split AAP into a separate Punjab unit after the elections, like Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde did in Maharashtra, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed on Saturday.
Badal made the claim while addressing rallies at Sunam and Dhuri for the Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD) Sangrur candidate Iqbal Singh Jhundan.
"Bhagwant Mann has compromised with the BJP as he felt he would also be arrested like his boss (Arvind) Kejriwal because he had also perpetrated the same liquor scam as done by AAP in Delhi. This understanding has saved him from arrest," Badal alleged.
Shiv Sena leader Shinde became Maharashtra chief minister after parting ways with Uddhav Thackeray and forming an alliance with the BJP.
The Election Commission of India has since recognised the Shinde faction as officially representing the Shiv Sena while the Thackeray-led faction has been using the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) name.
The Shiromani Akali Dal chief also asserted that no Delhi-based party can be trusted with votes.
"Bhagwant Mann has opened channels with both the BJP and the Congress to hedge his bet. While he has an informal understanding with the BJP, he has also aligned with the Congress in Punjab and is putting up a friendly fight in most constituencies," Badal said.
He cited how AAP is contesting against the Congress in Punjab but Mann has been campaigning for the grand old party in Chandigarh and Haryana.
AAP and the Congress are constituents of the opposition INDIA bloc. While the two parties are contesting the Lok Sabha elections independently in Punjab, they have an alliance in Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Urging Punjabis to "seal the borders" for all Delhi-based parties, Badal said, "The AAP government in Punjab and the Union government colluded to prevent our farmers from marching to Delhi. This led to firing of tear gas shells at our farmers and even firing of rubber bullets. Now it is your turn to seal the borders of Punjab with your votes."
He also made a case for trusting the Shiromani Akali Dal -- a home-grown party of Punjab.
Badal said the Shiromani Akali Dal has always stood for safeguarding the interests of Punjab and decided to contest the Lok Sabha elections alone when it became clear that the BJP was not ready to resolve any of the pending grievances of the farmers or the Sikh community.
He also announced that once the Shiromani Akali Dal is elected to power, it will release tubewell connections to all agriculturists who do not have a single connection in their name.
He also promised that all social welfare schemes that have been curtailed by successive Congress and AAP governments would be revived in totality.
