India’s 17-year-old prodigy, D Gukesh ensured a hard-earned victory over Alireza Firouzja in Round 13 of the Candidates 2024 chess tournament to surge into the sole lead with just one more round left. 

Three veterans—two-time Candidates winner Ian Nepomniachtchi, World’s second-ranked Fabiano Caruana and World number three Hikaru Nakamura— are hot on the Indian teenager’s heels, just half a point behind.

What will spice up the final day of action even more is the fact that Gukesh will take on Nakamura in the final round with black pieces while Nepomniachtchi faces Caruana.

Meanwhile, in the women’s section the most notable result from an Indian perspective was 22-year-old Vaishali racking up her fourth victory in a row in Round 13 to bounce back from losing four in a row at one stage.