FIDE Candidates: Sindarov stumbles, Giri strikes as race tightens
Javokhir Sindarov missed a clear opportunity to secure victory this afternoon against Matthias Bluebaum, allowing Anish Giri to narrow the gap after defeating Fabiano Caruana with the black pieces. With five rounds remaining, Sindarov still leads by 1.5 points. Vaishali and Zhu Jiner share the lead at the FIDE Women’s Candidates with 5.5/9, following victories over Divya Deshmukh and Kateryna Lagno, respectively. Meanwhile, Anna Muzychuk squandered a highly promising endgame, slipping behind the leaders. A full report will be available shortly. FIDE Candidates Round 9 results: Hikaru Nakamura ½–½ Andrey EsipenkoFabiano Caruana 0–1 Anish GiriPraggnanandhaa R ½–½ Wei YiMatthias Bluebaum ½–½ Javokhir Sindarov Standings after Round 9 – FIDE Candidates Tournament: 1. Sindarov – 7 points2. Giri – 5½3. Caruana – 4½4-7. Bluebaum, Nakamura, Praggnanandhaa R, Wei Yi – 48. Esipenko – 3 FIDE Women’s Candidates Round 9 results: Tan Zhongyi ½–½ Anna MuzychukZhu Jiner 1–0 Kateryna LagnoAleksandra Goryachkina ½–½ Bibisara AssaubayevaVaishali Rameshbabu 1–0 Divya Deshmukh Standings after Round 9 – FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament: 1-2. Vaishali, Zhu Jiner – 5½ points3. Muzychuk – 5 points4-5. Deshmukh, Lagno – 4½ points6-7. Assaubayeva, Goryachkina – 4 points8. Tan Zhongyi – 3 points Official website: https://candidates2026.fide.com/ Event photo gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/fide/ Live daily broadcast with GM commentary: https://www.youtube.com/@FIDE_chess Written by IM Michael A. Rahal (Cyprus) Photos: Michal Walusza, Yoav Nis (Eugene Nisenbaum)
Media accreditation open for the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Teams 2026
FIDE is pleased to announce the opening of media accreditation to for the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2026. Dates: June 16 – 20, 2026 Location: Hong Kong, China The World Rapid and Blitz Teams, which FIDE launched in 2023, is a unique chess competition where elite professionals, recreational players – both men and women – compete on the same team in a serious world event. With the knockout format and rapid and blitz games, the event is naturally built for spectators. The tournament is also growing at remarkable pace, drawing global chess spotlight as well as top world players such as Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Alireza Firouzja, Hou Yifan, and others. The FIDE World Team Rapid Chess Championship will be played as a 12-round Swiss tournament across three days (June 17-19), with four rounds per day and a time control of 15 minutes for the whole game plus a 10-second increment per move. The FIDE World Team Blitz Chess Championship follows on June 20 and 21, beginning with pool stages before moving to a knockout format for the top 16 teams, with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move. Media registration form: https://worldrapidblitzteams2026.fide.com/mediaregistration Official website: http://worldrapidblitzteams2026.fide.com/ We invite all media representatives wishing to cover the tournaments to submit their accreditation applications via the media registration form above. Accreditation is open for all members of the written press, photographic press, online media, and writers and photographers working for publications and/or websites of the FIDE National Member Federations. Accredited event media will collect their badges onsite at the events. A valid travel document containing a photo must be presented to receive media accreditation. The event organisers will ensure a comfortable working environment for all Accredited Media, providing a range of facilities and services at the level established at major FIDE events. We look forward to your coverage of the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2026!