A young dark horse and a last-minute sub are setting the pace as the FIDE Candidates and FIDE Women’s Candidates tournaments hit the halfway point this week in Cyprus. The eight-grandmaster, double round-robin events are being held to select the next challengers for the world and the women’s world championship matches later this year.
Uzbek GM Javokhir Sindarov, at 20 the youngest player in the Candidates’ field, has been setting a scorching pace, racking up five wins and two draws against a world-class field to post a record-setting 6-1 mark so far, a full 1½ points ahead of American star GM Fabiano Caruana. With just seven rounds to go, some are questioning whether anyone can catch the red-hot Sindarov for the right to challenge Indian world champion Dommaraju Gukesh later this year.
It’s a more competitive fight in the women’s field, where Ukrainian veteran GM Anna Muzychuk is the surprise leader at the halfway point, with an undefeated 4½-2½ score that puts her a half-point clear of young Indian GM Vaishali Rameshbabu. Muzychuk is only playing because Indian star GM Humpy Koneru pulled out at the last minute because of security concerns over the current Middle East war.
Four other players are just a point off the lead at 3½ points, with a tight finish in store. Chinese women’s world champ GM Ju Wenjun awaits the winner.
Sindarov has been shooting up the ratings lists in recent months, but few foresaw the mature and confident chess he has played so far in Cyprus. His five wins include victories over some of the pre-tournament betting favorites, including Caruana, fellow American superstar GM Hikaru Nakamura and Indian hopeful GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.
Sindarov’s Round 3 win over Praggnanandhaa provided an early sign of his good form in Cyprus. On the Black side of a Queen’s Gambit Declined, Sindarov takes a speculative leap with 12. Ne4 Qf5 13. b4 Nxb4!? (Be7 14. exd4 Qg6 15. b4 is safer but pleasant for White) 14. axb4 Bxb4+ 15. Kd1 (Nfd2?! dxe3 16. fxe3 Qe5 17. Rb1 a5 18. Bd3 f5, with a nice initiative) dxe3 — Black gets two pawns for the sacrificed piece, while forcing his opponent to use a vast amount of precious time working through the defensive headaches in his position.
Black is in no hurry to recover his sacrificed material, patiently improving his position with accurate moves such as 24…a5! and 28…h5, pushing back the White forces even more. Short of time and options, White finally cracks.
Thus: 32. Nd2 Rb6 33. c5? (g4!? Qxg4 34. Rf2 Bc5 35. Qa1 gives White some faint counterchances on the kingside) Rxc5 (Bxc5! was also strong) 34. Qb3+ Kh8 35. Qf7? (looking to muddy the waters, but this is tactically unsound) 35. Rxc2+!, when 36. Nxc2 allows the lethal 36…Be6+.
White tries 36. Kb1, only to run into 36…Rxd2! 37. Rdxd2 Bxd2+ 38. Ka2 Bxe3 39. Qxd7 Bxd4 40. Qxd4 Qf6, and, with Sindarov having reached the time control with a four-pawn endgame advantage, White resigned.
It was a similar story a round later, when Sindarov outplayed Caruana in the opening, ran up a huge advantage on the clock, and converted the point with ruthless precision. This time it’s a classic Queen’s Gambit Accepted line in which White’s preparation in the line 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. a4! forced Black to use up large amounts of thinking time just to stay level. The young Uzbek showed good preparation in finding the line 13. dxc5 Nb3 14. c6! — the only effective counter to Black’s queenside play, as Black gets into trouble in lines such as 15…Nxa1?! 16. Nxc6 Qb6 17. Nd4 b3 18. Be4 Rc8 19. a5! Qa7 20. Bd3 Nc2 21. Bxa6 Nxd4 22. exd4 Rd8 23. Qb5+.
Whit snatches a pawn with 21. Bxa6, and scores a timely breakthrough six moves later on 26. Rc5! Rd7 (every trade only helps White, but this retreat leads to more problems for Caruana) 27. d5! exd5 28. Qf3, and Black has weaknesses across the board. With his opponent again facing a serious time crunch, Sindarov delivers the knockout blow on 33. h5 Ra6 34. Qg4+ Kh8 35. Bd4+ f6 (Bxd4 36. Qxd4+ f6 37. Rd5, and Black can’t avoid big material losses; e.g, 37…Ra8 38. Qxf6+ Kg8 39. Rg5+, winning) 36. Rc5!, and Black resigns as 37. Rc8 is threatened and 36…Ra8 allows 37. Rxc3! bxc3 38. Bxf6 mate.
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Caruana had a happier result in the tournament’s shortest game so far, a 19-move win over strong Chinese GM Wei Yu that we pick up from today’s diagram. Wei as Black had been blitzing out his moves in this sharp Catalan line, but his preparation apparently ended with the last move played: 13…Bh3. Black is down two pawns but has lots of compensation, but it is Caruana as White who handles the ensuing complications better.
There followed 14. Qb5+ Nd7 15. Rg1 0-0?! (the Black bishop on h3 prevents White from castling, but it has an uncertain path back to safety; Wei undoubtedly hoped for more from his opening preparation, but more discreet here might have been taking the draw with 15…Bg4 16. Kf1 Bh3+ 17. Ke1 Bg4) 16. g4 Rc5? (White already threatened 17. Rg3, winning the bishop, but better here was 16…Nf6 17. Qa4 Qc7 18. Rg3 h5!, when 19. Rxh3 is answered by 19…hxg4, with chances for both sides) 17. Qb3 Ne5?? (a third straight error is fatal against a player of Caruana’s caliber; again 17…Nf6 keeps Black in the game) 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 (Bxe5 19. Ne4! hits the rook on c5 and the bishop on h3) 19. Nd1!.
All of White’s pieces, save his queen, are on the back row, but, remarkably, Wei is busted. That ill-starred bishop on h3 is attacked by the White queen and has no escape route. Black resigned.
Muzychuk may be a last-minute sub, but her chess so far has been impressive. She took down Chinese GM Jiner Zhu, the highest-rated player in the field, with some nice maneuvering out of a quiet Giuoco Piano line. Things look completely equal after 19. Nc3 Nb4, but Black uses her pressure on the vulnerable c2-pawn to obtain a powerful initiative.
Things go downhill quickly for White on 22. Nh2?! (h5 was the better choice; Black happily exploits this knight’s retreat to the side of the board) Nd4 23. Qd1 (also good for Black is 23. Rc1 f5 24. Qg5 Qxg5 25. hxg5 fxe4 26. Nxe4 Rxf2 27. Nxf2 Ndxc2) f5! 24. g3 f4! 25. gxf4 Rxf4, and suddenly White’s position is under serious pressure while her king lacks adequate protection.
After 26. h5 (Rxf4?! exf4 27. Rxf4 Ndxc2 28. Nd5 Nxd5 29. exd5 Ne3, and White’s pawn structure is a disaster) Ndxc2 27. Rxc2 Rxf1+ 28. Nxf1 Nxc2 29. Qxc2 Qh4+, Zhu has adequate material for her rook and pawn, but has just too many soft spots around her king. A defensive lapse under severe pressure seals her fate.
It’s over on 34. Neg4? (Qe6! Qg5 35. Nhg4 Rd8, and Black is better but White can fight on) Qh3! (with the nasty threat of 35…Rf1 mate) 35. Qc1 Qxd3 36. Qe1 Rf4 37. Nf2 Qg3, and White resigned as on 38. Qb4 (Nhg4 Rxg4!) Rxf2 39. Qe7+ Kh6, she will be mated soon.
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
Praggnanandhaa-Sindarov, FIDE Candidates Tournament, Cap St. Georges in Cyprus, March 2026
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3 Nc6 9. Qc2 Re8 10. Bg5 d4 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Ne4 Qf5 13. b4 Nxb4 14. axb4 Bxb4+ 15. Kd1 dxe3 16. Bd3 Qg6 17. fxe3 f5 18. Ng3 Bc5 19. Qc3 e5 20. Bc2 e4 21. Nd2 Rd8 22. Kc1 Qg5 23. Re1 Qe7 24. Re2 Bb4 25. Qb2 a5 26. Nb3 Ra6 27. Nd4 Qg5 28. Kb1 h5 29. Ka2 h4 30. Nf1 Bd7 31. Rd1 Rc8 32. Nd2 Rb6 33. c5 Rxc5 34. Qb3+ Kh8 35. Qf7 Rxc2+ 36. Kb1 Rxd2 37. Rdxd2 Bxd2+ 38. Ka2 Bxe3 39. Qxd7 Bxd4 40. Qxd4 Qf6 White resigns.
Sindarov-Caruana, FIDE Candidates Tournament, Â Cap St. Georges, March 2026
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 dxc4 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Qe2 a6 8. Nc3 b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. a4 b4 11. Ne4 Na5 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13. dxc5 Nb3 14. c6 Bxc6 15. Nd4 Nxd4 16. exd4 Rg8 17. g3 f5 18. Bc4 Rg4 19. Be3 Bd5 20. Rac1 Be7 21. Bxa6 Kf8 22. Bb5 Bf6 23. Rfd1 Kg7 24. Bc6 Ra5 25. Bxd5 Rxd5 26. Rc5 Rd7 27. d5 exd5 28. Qf3 Bxb2 29. Rcxd5 Rxd5 30. Rxd5 Qe8 31. Rxf5 Rg6 32. h4 Bc3 33. h5 Ra6 34. Qg4+ Kh8 35. Bd4+ f6 36. Rc5 Black resigns.
Zhu-Muzychuk, FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Cap St. Georges, March 2026
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Be3 Bxe3 6. fxe3 d6 7. Qd2 a6 8. Bb3 Be6 9. Nc3 Bxb3 10. axb3 d5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. O-O O-O 13. Ne4 Qe7 14. Ng3 g6 15. e4 Nf6 16. Kh1 Nd7 17. Ne2 Rad8 18. Rf2 Nc5 19. Nc3 Nb4 20. Raf1 f6 21. h4 Ne6 22. Nh2 Nd4 23. Qd1 f5 24. g3 f4 25. gxf4 Rxf4 26. h5 Ndxc2 27. Rxc2 Rxf1+ 28. Nxf1 Nxc2 29. Qxc2 Qh4+ 30. Nh2 Rf8 31. Nd1 Qxh5 32. Ne3 c6 33. Qc4+ Kg7 34. Neg4 Qh3 35. Qc1 Qxd3 36. Qe1 Rf4 37. Nf2 Qg3 White resigns.
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