Alireza Firouzja, 20, faces at 8:30 p.m. French time the last opponent he has not yet met in the competition, the Indian three years his junior Dommaraju Gukesh, with little hope for the rest of the tournament. The Frenchman shares with Uzbek Thumb Nijat Abasov the last place of the eight players after six of the fourteen games, which ended in three draws and three defeats.
He only has 1.5 points, compared to 4 for his opponent, still undefeated (2 wins, 4 draws) and who shares the lead with the Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi, winner of the last two editions of the Candidates. Only first place allows you to obtain a ticket to face the reigning world champion, currently the Chinese Ding Liren.