Gukesh crushes Abasov to be back in joint lead; Praggnanandhaa, Gujrathi out of contention

Teenaged Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh shines in Candidates chess tournament, while R. Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi fall behind.

Teenaged Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh produced another fantastic performance to crash through the defences of Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov and regain a share of the lead but R. Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi bowed out of contention after the 12th round of the Candidates chess tournament here.

With American Hikaru Nakamura scoring a victory over Firouza Alireza of France, it is now a three-way lead at the top.

Candidates chess: Gukesh slips to tied 2nd after draw; losses for Pragg, Gujrathi

Gukesh and Nakamura joined overnight top-placed Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, who drew with Praggnanandhaa, on 7.5 points and these three are now followed by Fabiano Caruana of United States who is on seven points.

Candidates Chess: Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi retain lead after agreeing to 40-move draw

Praggnanandhaa is still fifth with six points with Gujrathi following him on five points.

However, with just two rounds to come in the eight-player double round-robin tournament, it is almost impossible for the duo to finish on the podium. Alireza and Abasov fill up the rear of the table with 4.5 and three points respectively.