Candidates 2024: Vidit Gujrathi beats Alireza Firouzja in round six
India’s Vidit Gujrathi nabbed his second win of the FIDE Candidates 2024 tournament after he beat France’s Alireza Firouzja in a round six encounter in Toronto, Canada on Thursday.
The game was evenly poised until move 11, when Firouzja made a mistake to hand Vidit a slender advantage, which he capped by castling to the longer side.
Right after that, the Frenchman went on an ill-advised attacking sojourn, as he pushed his queen to f2, effectively handing the reins of the game to Vidit.
HIGHLIGHTS | FIDE CANDIDATES 2024 ROUND 6
The Indian GM was ruthless as he drove home the advantage, forcing his opponent to make more errors.
Firouzja dragged the game forward, hoping Vidit’s seemingly casual time management might open a door for him.
But Vidit managed to keep the pressure of the ticking clock at bay and got to move 40, which added 30 more minutes to his tally, prompting Firouzja to resign.
The win takes Vidit to three points in the tournament and helped him break a run of demoralising results.