TORONTO: India's chess prodigy D Gukesh played a clever game to defeat France's Alireza Firouzja in a round 13 clash of the FIDE Candidates 2024 on Sunday.

With the victory, the Indian took the sole lead before the final round. The victory pushed Gukesh to the sole leadership position in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024 with an impressive score of 8.5 points after 13 rounds.

With one round remaining, Gukesh went to the top of the standings, leading Hikaru Nakamura of the United States and Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia.

The victor of the eight-player event will have the opportunity to challenge the reigning world champion for the title.

Gukesh currently has 8.5 points, with Hikaru and Nepomniachtchi tied for second with 8.0 each.

The 17-year-old also surpassed compatriot Arjun Erigaisi to become India's top player with a live rating of 2762.8, propelling him to sixth place in the world rankings.

Gukesh will meet Nakamura with black pieces in the last round, where a draw will earn him tiebreaks, but a win against the American will assure him a spot in the world championship match.