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Praggnanandhaa lost to Sindarov in Candidates Chess, Caruana beat Wei Yi, Sindarov and Caruana lead by 2.5 points, while Assaubayeva and Lagno won in the women’s event
FIDE Candidates Tournament: R Praggnandha lost to Javokhir Sindarov (X@FIDE_Chess)
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa suffered a major setback in his campaign, losing to Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan in the third round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament on Tuesday.
The defeat with the white pieces could prove costly for Praggnanandhaa, who had started his campaign on a high by defeating Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri. The loss leaves the Indian on 1.5 points and in urgent need of a quick recovery.
Along with Sindarov, American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana — the pre-tournament favourite — defeated Wei Yi of China in one of the strangest games of the opening three rounds. Caruana and Sindarov now share the lead on 2.5 points apiece.
They are followed by Praggnanandhaa on 1.5, while Matthias Bluebaum, Andrey Esipenko, Hikaru Nakamura and Giri are tied for fourth on 1 point each. Wei Yi is at the bottom on 0.5 points in the eight-player double round-robin event, with 11 rounds still to be played.
For Praggnanandhaa, it was heartbreak after a rousing start. With the white pieces he faced a Queen’s Gambit Declined and, on another day, it might well have been a straightforward draw had he not pushed for a decisive result.
Sindarov, the youngest-ever World Cup winner, has emerged over the past year as a fierce competitor against the world elite, and Tuesday was no different. The Uzbek seized his chances in the middlegame, sacrificing a piece to dismantle White’s initiative early on.
Praggnanandhaa was forced onto the back foot as the pressure mounted, and a series of errors in the later stages of the middlegame proved costly for the Indian.
Caruana secured a win that few expected to end so swiftly. The game began with an English Opening and initially promised a complex battle, but Wei Yi found himself out of preparation early, allowing the American to seize control, trap a bishop with resourceful play, and wrap up the contest in just 19 moves.
In the women’s event being held simultaneously, the ice was finally broken by Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan, who scored the first victory of the tournament at the expense of Zhu Jiner of China.
R. Vaishali kept herself in contention with a draw against Anna Muzychuk in an uneventful game, while Divya Deshmukh, the women’s World Cup winner, staged a spirited comeback from a losing endgame to hold Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia to her third consecutive draw.
In the other game of the day, favourite Tan Zhongyi of China also suffered a setback, losing to seasoned Kateryna Lagno of Russia.
The Candidates is played to determine the challenger for the next world championship match. In the Open section, the winner will face D. Gukesh, while in the women’s event the champion will have a showdown with Ju Wenjun of China.
FIDE Candidates Tournament – Results
Open (Round 3): Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2.5) beat Wei Yi (Chn, 0.5); R Praggnanandhaa (1.5) lost to Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb, 2.5); Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 1) drew with Anish Giri (Ned, 1); Matthias Bluebaum (Ger, 1) drew with Andrey Esipenko (Rus, 1).
Women (Round 3): Tan Zhongyi (Chn, 1) lost to Kateryna Lagno (Rus, 2); Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 2) beat Zhu Jiner (Chn, 1); R Vaishali (Ind, 1.5) drew with Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 1.5); Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus, 1.5) drew with Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 1.5).
(With inputs from Agencies)
April 01, 2026, 07:49 IST
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