Gukesh D one step closer to Candidates after becoming sole leader at Chennai Grand Masters 2023

Arjun was held to a draw by veteran grandmaster Levon Aronian on Tuesday and the Indian now sits sixth in the eight-man event.

Gukesh and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi are chasing a Candidates spot via the Chennai event with Arjun needing to win the event outright. But for Gukesh, even a two-way or a three-way tie at the top, and then first or second spot via the tiebreaks, should suffice to see him edge page grandmaster Anish Giri, who is currently the favourite to secure the Candidates spot via the FIDE Circuit route.

Two slots at the eight-man Candidates tournament are still up for grabs: one of them will be secured through the FIDE Circuit route while the other will be secured at the end of this year via the FIDE ratings (rankings) route. India’s Gukesh and Erigaisi, besides Iran’s Maghsoodloo, are trying their luck to get the FIDE Circuit spot at the Chennai event. However, the Iranian can no longer seal that spot after bad results at the start of the tournament. Should Gukesh or Arjun secure their entry into the Candidates, it will be the first time three Indians will be part of the elite eight-man field.

India’s Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi have already sealed two spots at the Candidates, which will be held in Toronto in April next year to determine who will be the challenger to Ding Liren at the next World Chess Championship.

In the women’s Candidates tournament, which will be held parallelly in Toronto with the Open Candidates event, India will be represented by Vaishali Rameshbabu. Koneru Humpy, the first Indian woman to become a grandmaster, is also a favourite to secure a spot via the FIDE ratings route.

Gukesh has endured an indifferent run of results in recent months after making history as the first man to overhaul Viswanathan Anand as the top-ranked Indian chess player in the FIDE published rankings.

He lost to Magnus Carlsen in the quarterfinal of the FIDE World Cup in Baku in August this year. At the same event, Carlsen also defeated Praggnanandhaa, but in the final, which meant Pragg sealed a spot at the Candidates by virtue of finishing in the top 3.

Gukesh then had a woeful showing at the FIDE Grand Swiss at Isle of Man (where Vidit Gujrathi won the open event and sealed a spot at the Candidates).

The two defeats meant that he needed to rely on the FIDE Circuit route to qualify for the Candidates. He needed to win the 13th London Chess Classic event held earlier this month. But he could only finish third at the London event after defeats to Hans Niemann and Jules Moussard in a 10-man field.

That’s when the Chennai event popped up on the calendar and opened another door to the Candidates for Gukesh.