The opening round of the Candidates chess tournament produced plenty of excitement but only one decisive result, as seven of the eight games ended in draws at Toronto.
Former World champion Tan Zhongyi of China was the only winner on Thursday. With black, she defeated compatriot Lei Tingjie in 52 moves to emerge as the only player — be it in the Open event or the women’s — in the lead position after the first round.
All the four boards in the Open event were drawn. One of those games featured two Indians — D. Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi. The game, in which Gukesh had white pieces, ended in 21 moves, with repetition.
