Arjun Erigaisi will start as the favourite against veteran Hungarian Peter Leko, while R Praggnanandhaa faces the inventive Daniil Dubov.
In the sixth round Gukesh survived another scare before steering the game to a draw with Firouzja.
R Vaishali kept Indian hopes alive by defeating Divya Deshmukh in the ninth round of the Women's Candidates Chess Tournament, while Anish Giri's victory impacted Fabiana Caruana's chances in the open section.
R Praggnanandhaa sealed his spot in the Grand Chess Tour finale after finishing runner-up at the Sinquefield Cup.
Praggnanandhaa takes on a strong field at Grand Swiss, eyes Candidates berth
'Last year, I messed up some good positions against him, I think I did not beat him (in classical) for almost two years now, so finally it's good to get a win.'
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa kept himself in hunt for an overall top four finish in the Grand Chess Tour after a draw with Wesley So of the United States in the eighth and penultimate round of the Sinquefield Cup in St Louis (USA).
Praggnanandhaa held by Sevian; Gukesh draws with Vachier-Lagrave.
Without Carlsen, the GCT was announced and this is the culmination point wherein the players would qualify for the grand finale slated later this year.
The Cyprus Chess Federation president has criticised Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy's withdrawal from the Candidates Tournament, citing unfounded security concerns and disrespect for organisers and players.
R Praggnanandhaa scored a fluent victory over Frenchman Alireza Firouzja to claim the joint lead after the seventh round of the Sinquefield Cup.
Gukesh had another eventful game in a Queen pawn opening with black pieces.
World Champion D Gukesh believes concerns about cheating in chess are overblown and distances himself from Vladimir Kramnik's accusations. He also looks ahead to the Candidates Tournament.
Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa finished in sixth and seventh position respectively, even as Grandmaster Levon Aronian of the United States reigned supreme in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.
Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine will replace Koneru Humpy in the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus after Humpy withdrew due to safety concerns related to the region's proximity to the West Asia conflict.
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy is uncertain about competing in the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus due to safety concerns amid the West Asia conflict, despite assurances from FIDE.
Arjun prevailed over Abdusattorov 1.5-0.5 while Praggnanandhaa lost an intense battle 3-4 against Caruana.
R Praggnanandhaa was held to a draw by the world's youngest-ever Grandmaster Abhimanyu Mishra of the United States.
Carlsen to fight for third place after wins over Arjun and Praggnanandhaa
FIDE, the world chess governing body, has rejected calls to move the Candidates Tournament from Cyprus despite security concerns arising from regional conflicts. The tournament is scheduled to begin on March 28.
World champion D Gukesh stayed in the hunt with a clinical endgame win in Round 10 of the Tata Steel Masters, while Arjun Erigaisi slipped to another defeat and slid down the standings at Wijk Aan Zee.
Indian chess grandmaster Koneru Humpy defends her decision to withdraw from the Candidates tournament in Cyprus due to safety concerns amid regional tensions, stating that playing peacefully is impossible when surrounded by warships.
World champion D Gukesh resigned on his 37th turn against Germany's Matthias Bluebaum at Tata Steel Masters Chess.
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa took down World No 1 Magnus Carlsen to advance to the top-bracket quarter-finals along with Arjun Erigaisi at the Freestyle Grand Slam Tour.
Praggnanandhaa on Sunday attributed the change in fortune to increased confidence and ambition
D Gukesh played out a draw with compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram, the result ending the reigning world champion's title hopes on a tough day for Indian players in the Tata Steel Masters 2026 in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, on Saturday.
World champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by the lone wild card Samuel Sevian, while fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa also split the point with Nodirbek Abdusattorov.
Top seed Arjun Erigaisi could not get past the defenses of world champion D Gukesh as the two Indians agreed to a draw
Tata Steel Masters: Gukesh bounces back with a win against Fedoseev
Praggnanandhaa wins UzChess Cup Masters, becomes top-ranked Indian and World No.4
R Praggnanandhaa found himself clubbed with Magnus Carlsen in the same group, while Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi were bunched together in the other pool
Aravindh Chithambaram defeated D Gukesh at the Prague International Chess Festival, while Jorden van Foreest maintains his lead in the tournament.
World champion D Gukesh aims for a strong performance at the Prague International Chess festival after an early World Cup exit and underwhelming Tata Steel Masters showing.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan clinched the Tata Steel Masters title with a black-piece victory against out-of-form Arjun Erigaisi while world chess champion D Gukesh emerged as the best Indian with a joint eighth finish as the tournament concluded Wijk Aan Zee on Monday.
Superbet Classic: Praggnanandhaa in joint lead with three others
Tata Chess: Wesley So in sole lead, Erigaisi & Nihal not far behind in Blitz
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa won the Superbet Chess Classic after defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with white pieces in the final Blitz play-off game on Friday.
World champion D Gukesh was himself to blame as he fell into a blindspot and made an unimaginable blunder to go down to Nodirbek Abdusatorov of Uzbekistan in a sixth round match of the Tata Steel chess
World champion Dommaraju Gukesh was beaten by compatriot Ramesh Praggnanandhaa and ended up two points behind Magnus Carlsen, with 15.5, in the Super United Rapid and Blitz Chess Tournament in Zagreb, Croatia, on Saturday.
Praggnanandhaa beats Abdusattorov in Superbet chess
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