Sindarov storms to Candidates victory; Women’s title hangs in the balance
Javokhir Sindarov has won the FIDE Candidates Tournament this afternoon with a round to spare and will challenge Gukesh D for the World Championship at the end of the year. His game against Anish Giri ended in a draw, and with one round remaining, Sindarov holds a commanding two-point lead over the rest of the field. In the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Anna Muzychuk to move into a tie for first place with R Vaishali. Tomorrow’s final round will determine whether there will be an outright winner or a tiebreak will be required. Up to six of the eight players still have a theoretical chance to win the event. Let’s take a closer look at the action. The ceremonial first move was performed by Isai Scheinberg, a long-standing supporter of chess and the first awardee of the FIDE Medal of Merit in the 21st century. In the key game of the round, Javokhir Sindarov held Anish Giri to a draw, securing first place and claiming victory in the FIDE Candidates Tournament. Both players blitzed out the first fourteen moves. Sindarov accepted an isolated d-pawn in the Queen’s Gambit Declined, while Giri was content with a slight edge, enjoying a dynamic position without any real risk. However, Sindarov made excellent use of the rest day and came into the game extremely well prepared. “We checked and prepared against Anish. At some point, it became boring because I reviewed this line ten times, as he had already played it against Andrey Esipenko. We had a good fight, but after we exchanged queens, I felt I wouldn’t have any problems holding the draw. That proved true: I played quickly, and it was an easy draw,” Sindarov explained in the postgame press conference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTtBY4CXL0s He also added with a touch of humour: “I had zero problems in the rook ending and saw the final line very quickly. I knew I wouldn’t lose that position with one hour and thirty minutes left on the clock – I was just chilling.” Sindarov expressed deep gratitude to those who supported him throughout the tournament: “A big thank you to everyone who supported me during this long event. Every round was very tough, and the last week was the hardest of my life. I even slept very badly in the final days. I’m very happy it’s over. Many thanks to my family, my coach, my seconds, and everyone who supports me.” He also praised his coach, Roman Vidonyak: “He analyses all the information from the tournament and points out what I’m doing wrong in certain positions. He gives me advice. I’ve been working with him for more than a year. He has also worked with Nodirbek Yakubboev, and you can see the results of our work. He’s a great person: we play board games together, he’s funny, very supportive, and a hard worker. With him, I’ve improved my chess a lot.” In the other three games of the round, Wei Yi defeated Andrey Esipenko in a highly complex attacking line of the Petrov Defence. Interestingly, Wei Yi had already employed this line back in 2017 against Yu Yangyi at the Hainan Danzhou GM Tournament, where he also scored a brilliant victory. At a critical moment, Esipenko sacrificed a piece for a couple of pawns and an attacking initiative. In different circumstances, the gamble might have paid off, but Wei Yi’s defensive precision proved impeccable on this occasion. Both players joined Zachary Saine in the media centre for a joint press conference in which they went over the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh6zpiZttfc Despite his young age, Praggnanandhaa R already has extensive experience against Fabiano Caruana, with their head-to-head record standing at 13 games: two wins each and nine draws. The Nimzo-Indian Variation they chose dates back to the 1970s and is known for its deep strategic complexity. By around move twelve, Praggnanandhaa had already spent over half an hour in a position with more than 300 recorded master games, an unusual situation indeed. This left Caruana with an intriguing choice: follow the main theoretical path or deviate. He opted for a secondary line and soon generated a powerful attack, ultimately forcing his opponent to sacrifice his queen to avoid immediate checkmate. Caruana appeared to be on the verge of victory, but Praggnanandhaa demonstrated remarkable resilience, finding a defensive resource based on a fortress setup that allowed him to secure a draw. In the final game of the round, Hikaru Nakamura and Matthias Bluebaum produced an exceptionally accurate encounter, both achieving a near-perfect 99% accuracy score in a solid draw. Facing a classical Queen’s Gambit Declined setup, Nakamura quickly relinquished the bishop pair to reach a standard Carlsbad structure and prepare a minority attack. Unfazed, Bluebaum responded confidently, simplifying the position and equalizing with ease. By move twenty-five, the game was completely balanced. Although play continued until move forty-one, the evaluation remained unchanged throughout, further reinforcing Bluebaum’s reputation as one of the most solid players on the circuit. The results of the penultimate round in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament have left the competition wide open. Six players still have a theoretical chance of winning the event, although only five can qualify for a playoff at the same time. The leading contenders are Vaishali Rameshbabu, who held Tan Zhongyi to a draw, and Bibisara Assaubayeva, who defeated Anna Muzychuk with an impressive display of home preparation. Both now stand on 7.5 points. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkRp_LvKluI In the final round, Vaishali will have the white pieces against Kateryna Lagno, while Assaubayeva will play Black against Divya Deshmukh. If one of them wins and the other does not, the victor will be crowned champion outright. However, the situation remains tense. If both leaders draw, Zhu Jiner – currently on 7 points – could still tie them, as she faces Anna Muzychuk in the final round. Moreover, should both leaders lose, players on 6.5 points still retain outside chances. Among them, Kateryna Lagno, fresh off a victory over Divya Deshmukh, and Aleksandra Goryachkina,
Bidding for the 2030 FIDE Chess Olympiad: Deadline extended
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has officially extended the deadline for bids for the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2030 until June 15, 2026 This global event, the largest team competition on the chess calendar, lasting 15 days (including arrivals and departures), brings together thousands of players and fans from across the world. At the most recent Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, 188 federations registered teams in the Open section and 169 federations in the Women’s section, reflecting the truly universal character of the event. Events to be organised Alongside the main competition, two additional key events will be held under the umbrella of the Olympiad: FIDE Chess Olympiad 2030 – Competition for People with Disabilities (organisers must be ready to host at least 100 teams) FIDE Congress 2030 The selected organiser will be responsible for hosting all three events and providing a proposal that ensures the maximum possible number of teams can be accommodated. With FIDE now uniting more than 200 federations — and expanding each year — the scale and importance of the FIDE Chess Olympiad continue to grow with every edition. Regulations The official regulations for both Olympiad competitions will be approved no later than 30 September 2025 and will follow the structure of the 2028 FIDE Chess Olympiad Regulations in all important aspects: FIDE Chess Olympiad 2028 – Main Competition Regulations (PDF) FIDE Chess Olympiad 2028 – Competition for People with Disabilities Regulations (PDF) The requirements for hosting the FIDE Congress may be found here: FIDE Congress Regulations. Who Can Bid? Any FIDE member federation or organiser approved by a national federation is eligible to apply. Bidders proposing to host additional FIDE events alongside the Olympiad will be given priority. Bidding process Formal Bid: Complete bidding applications must be submitted to office@fide.com by June 15, 2026, 18:00 CET. Applications must follow the form provided in the approved regulations and include all required documents. The full responsibilities of the organiser, including financial obligations, will be defined in the regulations and any additional conditions. The final decision on the host city will be made by the FIDE General Assembly held during the next FIDE Chess Olympiad in September 2026 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which will award the organisation rights to the applicant receiving the highest number of votes.