MOSCOW, June 25 Russian chess player Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Hungarian Richard Rapport in the seventh round of the Candidates Tournament, which takes place in Madrid. The game in which Nepomniachtchi played with white pieces ended on the 43rd move. The Russian scored 5.5 points in seven rounds. After half the tournament, he continues to lead the overall standings. In the next round, the Russian grandmaster will play with the Chinese Ding Liren, in the first match with whom Nepomniachtchi won.
The Candidates Tournament will last until July 5th. Its winner will play a match for the world title with the current title holder Magnus Carlsen. Nepomniachtchi met the Norwegian in last year's world championship match and was defeated. Russian grandmaster Sergei Karyakin was suspended by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for six months due to the publication of an open letter on social networks in support of the policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the special operation in Ukraine. His place in the tournament was taken by the Chinese Ding Liren.