Caruana falls to Nakamura and

stranger things.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
26 June 2022 Sunday 13:54
30 Reads
Caruana falls to Nakamura and

stranger things. That was the only explanation Richard Rapport found for his loss to Ian Nepomniachtchi on matchday seven of the Candidates Tournament. The innate courage of the Hungarian led him to continue playing a position that he was completely unaware of after two repetitions (after three repetitions the tables are signed). The decision to continue was a stroke of luck for Nepo, the great dominator against the odds of the tournament at the moment.

Surgical and fast, Nepomniachtchi anticipated every move of his rival. Even when the Hungarian strayed from the main lines he responded accurately. He finished the game with the same time on the clock that he started with, something as unusual as it was extraordinary given the level of the opponent.

Nepo's theoretical and psychological preparation is unblemished so far. The first is presupposed to meet the challenge of revalidating the Candidates. The second was the great challenge from him after the beating inflicted on him by Magnus Carlsen last May. The recovery has come by way of total disconnection. Three months away from the spotlight have allowed him to regain confidence. All this while he condemned the war in Ukraine (in Madrid he competes under the FIDE flag) without giving up playing for his country.

As if the Russian was not doing well, Hikaru Nakamura did him a new favor by defeating Fabiano Caruana this Sunday, the only one who could keep up with him. The American has been the most stable of all those present in Madrid in the last five years.

It is no coincidence that he is close to Nepo despite the infernal pace he is printing, although with the defeat he is one point behind the Russian (5/8, by 6/8). Against Nakamura he endured for hours in a practically lost position that his compatriot finally knew how to solve.

Tomorrow Nepo and Caruana face each other in a crucial duel for the championship. All this with the permission of Nakamura, who with 4.5 points remains hopeful of harboring an option.