Alireza Firouzja is definitely out of his depth in Toronto. Mathematically out of the running after his draw against “Nepo” (Ian Nepomniachtchi), the Frenchman took issue on X with the referee’s behaviour towards him, ordering him to stop moving because his shoes were too noisy! Obviously, “Firou” felt he had been distracted by this unexpected intervention at a crucial moment in the game, when he seemed to have found a favorable position. But the Russian resisted and is, after nine rounds, the only unbeaten player in the tournament, which says a lot about his level.
Only Dommaraju Gukesh, who shared the point with Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, managed to hold on to the lead (5.5/9), just ahead of his opponent of the day. Fabiano Caruana’s draw with Nidjat Abasov puts him back ahead of Hikaru Nakamura, beaten for the second time in this tournament by Santosh Gujrathi Vidit.
