Sindarov Dominates Chess Candidates with Sixth Victory
Javokhir Sindarov, the 20-year-old Uzbek grandmaster, has significantly extended his lead at the world championship Candidates tournament in Cyprus. On Thursday, Sindarov secured his sixth win of the event, bringing his total to an unbeaten eight points out of 10 after 10 rounds. This puts him two points ahead of his closest competitor, Anish Giri of the Netherlands, who has moved into second place with six points.
Key Matchups and Critical Moments
In the latest round, Sindarov faced India's Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who had prepared a sharp defense to the Queen's Gambit with early pawn pushes. However, a blunder at move 22 allowed Sindarov to gain a queen and multiple pawns in exchange for two ineffective rooks, securing a decisive advantage.
In the previous round, Anish Giri established himself as Sindarov's main rival by defeating pre-tournament favorite Fabiano Caruana, the US champion. Giri's victory featured a brilliant finish with the exquisite sequence 42...f5+! 43 exf5 Kh6!!, leading to unavoidable checkmate or queen loss. Despite this, Giri faces an uphill battle to overhaul Sindarov's lead.
Sindarov himself had a near-miss in an earlier game against Matthias Blübaum, where he miscalculated and allowed a queen exchange instead of converting with 24...Qb7! after creating a winning attack.
Upcoming Challenges and World Championship Prospects
The most significant remaining obstacle for Sindarov is likely in round 13, where he will play with the Black pieces against Giri. If he overcomes this challenge, Sindarov is set to advance to the best-of-14 games world championship match later in 2026 against Gukesh Dommaraju. Both players will be under 21 years old, with Gukesh being approximately six months younger than Sindarov.
Candidates Tournament Standings
After 10 of the 14 rounds, the current scores in the Candidates tournament are as follows:
- Javokhir Sindarov: 8 points
- Anish Giri: 6 points
- Fabiano Caruana: 5 points
- Matthias Blübaum (Germany), Wei Yi (China), and Hikaru Nakamura (US): 4.5 points each
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu: 4 points
- Andrey Esipenko (Fide/Russia): 3.5 points
Women's Candidates and Other Chess Events
In the women's Candidates tournament, results have been chaotic, with five leaders tied at 4.5 points after eight rounds. India's Vaishali Rameshbabu, sister of Praggnanandhaa, now leads outright with 6 points after 10 rounds, having recovered from a minus score earlier in the event.
Other notable chess events include Germany's Grenke Freestyle Open, which attracted over 3,500 competitors. Germany's world No. 5, Vincent Keymer, won on tie-break from France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, both scoring 7.5/9. Magnus Carlsen, the world No. 1, finished third with 7/9, reportedly affected by excessive heat in the playing hall.
In England, IM Marcus Harvey achieved his first GM norm at the 4NCL Easter congress in Daventry, supported by the ECF and chancellor Rachel Reeves's £250,000 annual fund. At 29, Harvey has a strong 2446 rating and aims for the full GM title, with further attempts expected.
Chess continues to captivate audiences worldwide with its blend of strategy and intense competition.
