The most transcendental game of this round 12 was the one played by the American Hikaru Nakamura (second in the standings) and the tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi. The game ended early with a rather questionable draw by Nakamura, who had a chance to stop the leader, but nevertheless played a very positional variation of the Berlin defence, preferring to make a draw in just 14 moves.
With this, “Nepo” is on the verge of being the winner of the tournament again with 1.5 points above “Naka” and Ding Liren, who was defeated by Teimour Radjabov and his Nimzo-Indian defense, although in favor of the Chinese, it must be said that he tried to be somewhat more incisive than Hikaru Nakamura, although in the end it did not work out. If the Russian draws in his 13th round game, he will be crowned champion no matter what happens in the other games or in the final round.
Fabiano Caruana had a tough game against Richard Rapport. The American player tried his best to exploit the free H-file pawn in a rook endgame, but the Hungarian defended well and it all ended in a draw. In addition, there was a draw betweenJan-Krzysztof Duda and Alireza Firouzja, the last two of the tournament.
2022 Candidates Tournament: Round 13th Clashes
The next round will take place on Sunday, July 3 at 9 AM (ET).
Teimour Radjabov vs Fabiano Caruana
Alireza Firouzja vs Ding Liren
Hikaru Nakamura vs Jan-Krzysztof Duda
Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Richard Rapport
2022 Candidates Tournament: Standings after 12 rounds
| Player | Points |
| Ian Nepomniachtchi | 8,5 |
| Hikaru Nakamura | 6,5 |
| Ding Liren | 6,5 |
| Teimour Radjabov | 6 |
| Fabiano Caruana | 6 |
| Richard Rapport | 5 |
| Jan-Krzysztof Duda | 5 |
| Alireza Firouzja | 4,5 |
see also
What would happen if Carlsen doesn't defend his title?
