Javokhir Sindarov continues to dominate the FIDE Candidates after Round 11, where all games ended in draws. With only three rounds remaining, he still holds a two-point lead. If Sindarov maintains stability, he’s in an excellent position to win the tournament and secure a shot at the world title.
In the women’s section, Vaishali R scored a crucial win with the black pieces over Aleksandra Goryachkina, moving a full point ahead of the field and taking clear control heading into the final rounds.
Let’s take a closer look at this afternoon’s eleventh round action in the playing venue at the Cap St. Georges Hotel & Resort, here in Cyprus.
Of course, the key game of the afternoon was the encounter between Fabiano Caruana and Javokhir Sindarov. Caruana essayed a relatively new idea – 11.Be3 in the mainstream Catalan Opening – a move that has already been played a couple of times by Nihal Sarin.
“I didn’t really prepare for the last two games; I just played something safe. But then I got a bit of pressure and some serious winning chances at one point,” Caruana explained after the game. The idea involves a pawn sacrifice in exchange for long-term compensation. “We know that Caruana’s preparation runs deep!” exclaimed commentator Jan Gustafsson during the live broadcast.
Co-commentator Peter Svidler offered a different perspective: “It’s not played with the intention of proving an advantage, but rather to reach a strange new position that the opponent may not yet have seen.”
Sindarov, however, defended excellently, returning the pawn at the precise moment and securing an important draw for his tournament chances. “I tried to make an impact in the tournament, but he defended very well,” Caruana concluded.
The other three games also ended in draws, although there were missed opportunities along the way. The game between Hikaru Nakamura and Wei Yi was a solid encounter, with both players blitzing out the classical mainline of the Catalan Opening.
Sensing that his opponent was deeply prepared, Nakamura opted to force a threefold repetition at an early stage, though not before spending nearly forty minutes weighing his options. In his post-game interview, Nakamura explained his decision-making process and also shared some thoughts on his upcoming clash with the tournament leader.
In an attempt to catch the leader, Anish Giri tried to improve on a previous game by Andrey Esipenko earlier in the tournament, opting for 11.Qa4 instead of 11.Rc1. Esipenko had already equalized comfortably in that earlier encounter, and interestingly, the same move had also appeared in game fourteen of the Fischer–Spassky World Championship match.
However, trying to outplay Esipenko in an isolated pawn–minor piece endgame is a notoriously difficult task. His defensive technique was once again impeccable, and Giri was unable to generate any real winning chances. A draw was agreed on move 43, a result that can be considered a model example of defensive play in this type of structure.
The player who will likely regret the afternoon most is no doubt R Praggnanandhaa, who reached a winning position against Matthias Bluebaum but ultimately failed to convert.
Praggnanandhaa had already missed a strong continuation a few moves earlier, but with only five minutes left for six moves, the critical moment arose.
He played 34.Qf3, activating his queen with threats against f7. However, after 34…d4!, Black’s coordination suddenly held everything together; the queen on b3 defends f7, and the initiative faded, allowing the game to simplify into a draw.
Instead, the decisive continuation was: 34.Rxf7! with strong attacking ideas, including the threat of 35.Qxg5 and mating patterns on g7.
The key line continues: 34…Rxe5 35.Qa7!! Bd3 (covering h7) 36.Rxg7+ Kh8 37.Rc7 (or 37.Rf7) with decisive threats such as 38.Rc8 and 38.Qd4, leading to a winning attack.
In the FIDE Women’s Candidates, Vaishali Rameshbabu took a major step toward winning the tournament by defeating Aleksandra Goryachkina with the Black pieces.
In their game featuring a London System, Vaishali equalised comfortably, and the position was heading toward a draw when Goryachkina missed a crucial tactical resource spotted by her opponent.
Most moves would have preserved equality (one of them is 30. a4), but 30.Be2–c4?? proved to be the decisive mistake.
Under time pressure, Goryachkina failed to notice that her rook was becoming dangerously trapped. After 30…Bc6!, White had no way to prevent …Nd7, which would win the trapped rook.
Goryachkina tried 31.Rxc5, but after 31…b6, she was forced to give up the exchange and resigned a few moves later. In her post-game press conference, Vaishali reflected on the game and her improved standing in the tournament.
The other three games also ended in draws. Kateryna Lagno and Anna Muzychuk have played many games against each other, with Muzychuk holding a slight plus score in their head-to-head. This time, Anna switched from the Grünfeld Defence to a Queen’s Indian / Bogo-Indian hybrid.
Although the position out of the opening was slightly more pleasant for White, Muzychuk held the balance comfortably, finishing with an impressive 98% accuracy.
The game between Zhu Jiner and Divya Deshmukh was also very well played by both sides. Zhu Jiner spent a long time in the opening in a Maroczy Bind sideline against the Sicilian, but Divya had clearly done her preparation and played quickly, reaching a slightly inferior but fully defendable position. She even had a small chance to press in the endgame, but the game ultimately petered out into a draw.
Finally, Tan Zhongyi came closest to scoring a full point against Bibisara Assaubayeva. As commentator Peter Svidler noted, Tan has been having a difficult tournament so far, with three losses and no wins. In this game, she arrived well-prepared, played confidently, and put her opponent under pressure.
However, just when a draw in the rook endgame should have (and ultimately did) arise, Assaubayeva made a single inaccuracy that briefly allowed winning chances. Unfortunately for Tan, those chances were not converted, and the game still ended in a draw.
Standings after Round 11
This afternoon’s fan-zone activities included a Q&A session with Viswanathan Anand, as well as a masterclass led by Harshit Raja.
In addition, several players, including Divya Deshmukh, delighted fans with their presence, signing chessboards, T-shirts, and taking part in photo opportunities.
The twelfth round will commence on April 12, at 3:30 pm (Cyprus).
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, Niki Riga
