Playing with Black, FIDE Candidates tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov held his opponent to a draw this afternoon. Combined with Fabiano Caruana’s loss against Hikaru Nakamura, the result leaves Sindarov two full points clear of the field. Meanwhile, Anish Giri narrowed the gap by defeating Praggnanandhaa R in a finely played technical game.
In the FIDE Women’s Candidates, Anna Muzychuk lost to Divya Deshmukh, leaving five players tied for the lead and the tournament wide open. Three decisive outcomes in Round 8 highlight the remarkable balance and competitiveness of the women’s field.
A full report will be available shortly.
FIDE Candidates Round 8 results
Andrey Esipenko ½–½ Javokhir Sindarov
Wei Yi ½–½ Matthias Bluebaum
Anish Giri 1–0 Praggnanandhaa R
Hikaru Nakamura 1–0 Fabiano Caruana
Standings after Round 8 – FIDE Candidates Tournament:
1. Sindarov – 6½ points
2-3. Caruana, Giri – 4½
4. Praggnanandhaa R – 4
5-7. Bluebaum, Nakamura, Wei Yi – 3½
8. Esipenko – 2½
FIDE Women’s Candidates Round 8 results
Anna Muzychuk 0–1 Divya Deshmukh
Bibisara Assaubayeva ½–½ Vaishali Rameshbabu
Kateryna Lagno 1–0 Aleksandra Goryachkina
Tan Zhongyi 0–1 Zhu Jiner
Standings after Round 8 – FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament:
1-5. Deshmukh, Lagno, Muzychuk, Vaishali, Zhu Jiner – 4½ points
6-7. Assaubayeva and Goryachkina – 3½ points
8. Tan Zhongyi – 2½ 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)
