Three critical wins in round one
The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament, the brutal proving ground that decides who earns the right to challenge the world champion, showed its intensity from the very first round. Played in an eight-player double round-robin format, this elite event produced three decisive games in the Open section: Fabiano Caruana defeated Hikaru Nakamura, Javokhir Sindarov beat Andrey Esipenko, and R Praggnanandhaa overcame Anish Giri. The only draw of the day in the Open came in the accurate, balanced encounter between Wei Yi and Matthias Blübaum. In the Women's Candidates, all four boards ended peacefully, underlining how important risk management can be on the opening day of such a demanding event.
The most talked-about battle of the round was undoubtedly Caruana vs. Nakamura. Caruana's decision to steer the game into the Réti Opening was an early statement in the preparation battle. The game soon developed into a long struggle shaped by strategic maneuvering and precise calculation. Nakamura was said to have missed a powerful defensive resource that could have given him good drawing chances, and Caruana capitalized in the manner expected of a top grandmaster. Scoring a full point against such a dangerous rival in round one is hugely important not only for the standings, but also for the psychological momentum it creates.
Meanwhile, Sindarov vs. Esipenko featured one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the day. For a long stretch, Esipenko appeared to be the more comfortable side, but Sindarov found resources at a critical moment, flipped the course of the game and seized the initiative. Praggnanandhaa, for his part, executed an opening surprise against Giri to near perfection; he carried his edge from the middlegame into the endgame and showed impressive technique in the conversion. His patient handling of the ending was another reminder of why the Indian star is considered one of the most serious title contenders of the new generation. As for the Women's section, the four draws may look calm on paper, yet they also reflected how vital it is to avoid an early setback in a long tournament.
The weight of round one in a long marathon
The Candidates used to be held as a knockout event, but since 2013 it has been staged as an eight-player double round robin, a format that rewards consistency more than a single brilliant day. For that reason, round one does not determine the final standings, but it can strongly shape the tournament's atmosphere and the players' appetite for risk. Lichess is covering the event in depth, not only through live broadcasts but also with detailed round annotations, embedded interviews and video content. After the opening round, the picture is already clear: in the Open, the race for first place has sharpened immediately, while in the Women's Candidates, attention now turns to when the first decisive game will finally break the balance.