Sindarov takes a major step in the Candidates
The standout result of the day in the FIDE Candidates Tournament came from Javokhir Sindarov, who delivered one of the most important wins of the event. The young Uzbek grandmaster reached full point against Fabiano Caruana, one of the most experienced players in the world elite, thanks to deep and impressive opening preparation from the very start. With this result, Sindarov collected his third victory of the tournament and gained a highly valuable edge in the race for first place. In an event as unforgiving as the Candidates, defeating a player of Caruana’s caliber changes not only the standings but also the psychological balance of the tournament.
Among the other results, Anish Giri scored an important win with the black pieces against Andrey Esipenko. The game between Wei Yi and Hikaru Nakamura ended in a draw, with both players carefully managing the fine line between risk and stability. The draw between Matthias Bluebaum and Praggnanandhaa R also underlined how delicate the race at the top has become. At this stage of the tournament, even a single victory can significantly reshape the overall picture, which makes Sindarov’s point even more valuable. The decisive role of opening preparation in modern chess was once again clearly on display in this round.
Women’s Candidates race heats up again
In the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, the day ended with results that directly affected the top of the standings. Anna Muzychuk used all of her experience to score a critical win over Kateryna Lagno, and with that result she moved into a share of first place alongside Bibisara Assaubayeva. Assaubayeva’s draw against Tan Zhongyi opened the door for Muzychuk to join the lead. Meanwhile, Zhu Jiner regained momentum with a win over Divya Deshmukh, keeping her challenge for the top positions very much alive.
In the remaining game, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Aleksandra Goryachkina split the point, while the broader picture suggests that the Women’s Candidates is becoming increasingly intense. In elite double round-robin events of this kind, success depends not only on technical accuracy but also on energy management, flexibility in the opening repertoire, and the ability to make the right decisions in critical moments. Muzychuk’s perfectly timed victory and Zhu Jiner’s resurgence are likely to make the fight for first place even sharper in the coming rounds. With official FIDE coverage and live grandmaster commentary, every round now carries the weight of a final on the road to the world championship.