The FIDE Candidates tournament is in the books. The last two rounds were incredibly intense, as four first-place contenders were within half a point. During round 13, Hikaru Nakamura drew black against Ian Nepomniachtchi. The Japanese-American streamer decided not to take too many risks as he spent much time before, so the game ended in a draw. 

In the other matches of round 13, Fabiano Caruana and Gukesh Dommaraju managed to win, so the situation before the last round was as follows: Gukesh was the solo leader, while Hikaru, Nepo and Fabiano were all half a point behind.

In round 14, Hikaru played white against Gukesh, while Caruana played white against Ian. Basically, all three chasers were in a win-or-go-home situation. Players had very intense matches that ended in a draw, making Gukesh Dommaraju the winner of the FIDE Candidates tournament. 

Hikaru Nakamura takes second place because he scored more wins than his opponents. If Ding Liren, the current chess world champion, refuses to play against Gukesh, Hikaru will take his spot in the world championship match.

Main image: x.com

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