HIKARU WHAT HAVE YOU DONE??????????

Welcome back to the Candidates Tournament, round 8 of 14. The first half of this double round-robin tournament has concluded, and the winners will challenge for the World Chess Championship. In the women's tournament, Anna Muzuchuk, a last-minute replacement, holds a half-point lead. The field is tight, with Vaishali Ramesh Babu close behind, followed by several players with three and a half or three points. The men's group sees Javakir Sundara from Uzbekistan dominating, with a one-and-a-half-point lead at the halfway mark, three points ahead of half the players. Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa (Prag), and Anish Giri are the closest contenders. Today was a crazy day, starting with the matchup between Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana. These two were considered favorites before the tournament. Hikaru, having struggled with no wins in his first seven games, played an English Opening. Fabiano responded symmetrically. Hikaru played bishop f4, which allowed Black to take the center with d5. Hikaru, with two and a half points out of seven, seemed to be trying to annoy Fabi and play the role of spoiler, as winning the tournament seemed out of reach. Hikaru played queen a4, and Fabi spent 20 minutes before giving away a pawn, baiting Hikaru. Hikaru didn't take the pawn, instead going for a familiar opening. The game progressed, looking like it might lead to a draw with similar imbalances and pieces. White had "microscopic levels of pressure" with a slightly more active queen and bishop, and better rook quality in the long run. Fabi went for a queen trade, which Hikaru declined. As the game moved into an endgame, White's rooks were of much higher quality. Fabi's f6 weakened a pawn; the computer preferred h6 or queen g5. Fabi chose to simplify, believing he wouldn't lose. Hikaru activated his rook, losing a pawn on a2. Fabi, under time trouble on move 28, played h5, a natural move, but missed Hikaru's plan of rook d1 to secure the seventh rank. Fabi then made a critical mistake, missing rook d8, which leads to a winning position for White. This sequence, with a check before moving the rook, was reminiscent of Magnus Carlsen's 2018 World Championship win against Fabi. The king is forced into a corner, allowing White to establish a winning setup. Fabi's catastrophic endgame collapse meant he was down two pawns in a rook endgame and completely lost. Hikaru demonstrated precise endgame play, coordinating his king and pushing pawns. Fabi resigned, a devastating result for him. This victory, while impressive for Hikaru, doesn't significantly alter his tournament standing due to his prior deficit. Hikaru has an astounding 6-0 record against Fabi in their last nine classical games when Fabi plays Black, with three draws. This result significantly diminishes Fabiano Caruana's chances, increasing Shavakir Sindarov's probability of winning the tournament to possibly 90%. Next, Yesipenko played Sindarov in a Catalan. Sindarov played a provocative, offbeat line, sacrificing a pawn to damage White's structure and then giving away a bishop. He launched an attack against White, leading to a queen trade and a repetition of moves, resulting in a draw. Sindarov, despite being a pawn down, secured a draw, which is a favorable outcome for him as he aims to make draws to maintain his lead. Six more draws would give him nine and a half points, likely enough to win the Candidates. Anish Giri versus Praggnanandhaa was a huge game, as only one of them could realistically catch Sindarov. Giri played a Queen's Gambit Declined line, leading to a sharp Vienna variation. Praggnanandhaa took a pawn, and the game entered a complex middle game. Giri made a significant trade, sacrificing a bishop for a knight, clarifying the position and aiming for a strong center and a long-term pawn weakness for Black. Giri meticulously improved his position, creating a passed pawn on e6. Praggnanandhaa, under severe time pressure, failed to find the crucial defensive move bishop b5, which would have created counterplay or forced a rook move, preventing the pawn from advancing. Instead, the pawn became a runaway truck, reaching e7. Giri sacrificed his rook to promote, leading to a forced checkmate or a winning queen endgame. Anish Giri played a beautiful game, securing a brutal victory against Praggnanandhaa. This result further complicates the race, with Sindarov still pulling away while others tackle each other. Wei Yi played Blue Bomb, a game with an "unbelievable" finish. Wei Yi played another Vienna-like opening, sacrificing a pawn. He launched a monstrous attack, bringing his rook to the opposite side of the board. Blue Bomb defended fantastically. Wei Yi sacrificed a rook, creating mating threats. Despite being down a rook, Wei Yi had a winning chance after reaching move 40 and gaining extra time. Blue Bomb played knight takes d4, creating counterplay and protecting squares, leading to what appeared to be a draw by repetition. However, Wei Yi went for a repetition, much to the commentator's frustration, as it meant both players failed to gain ground on Sindarov. The commentator expressed disappointment that Wei Yi didn't pursue a win, suggesting a queen sacrifice line that would have led to a complex, theatrical endgame. The draw mathematically eliminates neither player but makes catching Sindarov highly improbable. In the women's games, Ana Muzuchuk played Divya Deshmukh in an Accelerated Dragon. Muzuchuk built a solid position and gained an advantage, reaching a queen and rook endgame. She advanced on the kingside, reaching a winning position, but in time trouble, she missed the forced win with queen g4 check, which would have led to a winning pawn endgame. Instead, she made a series of inaccuracies, allowing Divya to find counterplay. In a stunning turn of events, Muzuchuk, who had a queen and two pawns, allowed her pawns to disappear, and Divya forced a queen trade and won the game, turning a lost position into a victory. This loss by the leader completely opens up the women's tournament. Lagno and Goryachkina played a Scotch Opening. Goryachkina made an early mistake in the opening, allowing Lagno to gain an advantage by boxing out Black's pieces and disrupting the center. Lagno maintained her advantage, won a pawn, and expertly converted the position into a winning bishop endgame with passed pawns on opposite sides, bulldozing her opponent. Lagno is also performing strongly. The Chinese women, Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi, also had a game. Tan Zhongyi, currently in last place, faced Ju Wenjun. White (Ju Wenjun) built a significant advantage from the opening in a Nimzo-Indian. However, she failed to maintain the pressure, making an inaccurate recapture with a knight instead of a rook. Black (Tan Zhongyi) took over the game, swarming the center with a knight transfer. The game went back to roughly equal, but White did not sense the danger. Ju Wenjun then lost two pawns and her knight in a violent endgame, leading to a smothered king in the corner. This epic victory for Black signifies that the former World Championship contender is unlikely to win the tournament. The only draw of the round was between Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vaishali, an Italian game that quickly led to an endgame. While some interesting tactical ideas emerged, it ultimately ended in a draw. The women's field is now wide open, with five to seven players potentially able to win the tournament, including Tan Zhongyi theoretically. Goryachkina hasn't won a game but has seven draws. In the open section, Sindarov holds a two-point lead over Caruana and Giri, who are set to play each other next, ensuring one cannot gain ground on Sindarov. Sindarov will play Blue Bomb with Black, who is unlikely to play for a win. If Sindarov draws and the others keep winning, the tournament could become more competitive. Hikaru Nakamura, with three and a half points, plays Yesipenko next, and another win could put him back in contention if Sindarov falters.