The FIDE Candidates 2024 tournament, which will decide the challenger for the world championship match, begins in Toronto, Canada on Friday.
The prestigious event is made up of eight-player fields in the Open and Women's category. The winner of each category will contest the reigning World Champion to attain the ultimate glory in sport.
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The current world champions are the Chinese duo of Ding Liren (Open) and Ju Wenjun (Women) categories, respectively.
Since 1991, Vishwanathan Anand was the only Indian to represent the country in the prestigious Candidates event. However, in 2024, there are five Indians (across both categories) at the FIDE Candidates tournament. Teenagers R Pragganandhaa and D Gukesh, and 29-year old Vidith Gujrathi will be part of the Open category. Meanwhile, in the Women’s category, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Koneru Humpy will be the ones to represent the Indian flag.
With only one round to go, 17-year-old Gukesh soared into sole lead. The last round will see the Indian take on Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana face Ian Nepomniachtchi. Nakamura, Caruana and Nepomniachtchi are all only half a point behind Gukesh and all four are in with a chance of winning the title, making it one of the most exciting finishes in tournament history.
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