Azerbaijani GM makes his third draw in 2024 Candidates Tournament

Azerbaijani GM Nijat Abasov has made his third draw in the 2024 Candidates Tournament, Azernews reports.

The 28-year-old grandmaster faced Alireza Firouzja, representing France. The meeting ended with a draw - 0.5:0.5.

N. Abasov drew with Russian Yan Nepomnyashi in the first round, and lost to Fabiano Caruana of the USA in the second match. He made peace with Hikaru Nakamura (USA) in the III round.

Nijat Abasov, who currently has 1.5 points, shares the 5th-8th places with Hikaru Nakamura, Firuzca, and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (India).

Nijat Abasov reached his all-time-highest rating of 2677 and was ranked No. 3 in Azerbaijan and No. 59 in the world as of 2023.

In the FIDE World Cup 2023, Abasov found himself face-to-face with Magnus Carlsen, widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time.

The match between these two chess prodigies was an unforgettable display of strategic brilliance.

The 2024 Candidates Tournament is an eight-player chess tournament, held to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship 2024.

The tournament is currently taking place at The Great Hall in Toronto, Canada, from April 3–22, 2024. The event is held alongside the Women's Candidates Tournament.

The 2024 Candidates Tournament is a double round-robin tournament. The winner of the tournament will earn the right to play in the 2024 World Chess Championship against the current World Chess Champion, Ding Liren.