There was no easing in to the fight as the FIDE Candidates tournament kicked off Sunday to pick the next challenger to reigning Indian world chess champion GM Dommaraju Gukesh.
Three of the four first-round games in the eight-grandmaster double round-robin event, being played on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, produced a decisive result, including a hard-fought victory by American GM Fabiano Caruana over compatriot and longtime rival GM Hikaru Nakamura. Indian GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Uzbek GM Javokhir Sindarov — who along with the two Americans are the betting favorites in the elite event — also posted wins, over Dutch GM Anish Giri and Russian GM Andrey Esipenko, respectively.
By contrast, all four games in the Women’s Candidates’ first round ended in draws. The winner of that event will take on Chinese women world chess champ GM Ju Wenjun later this year.
Saturday’s win must have been especially satisfying for Caruana because Nakamura had scored a string of wins in recent months in their head-to-head match-ups at traditional time controls. Caruana obtained steady pressure from the White side of an English Opening, eventually winning a pawn and securing a large advantage despite the presence of opposite-colored bishops.
Black defends doggedly even as he faces a massive weakness on the light-colored squares, and very nearly saves the game in the tense finale. We pick up the action from today’s diagram as Caruana finally moves to trade queens and transition to what should be a won ending: 71. Qe4! Qxe4+ 72. dxe4 Be7 73. e5! — backed by his more active king, White’s pawns seem ready to roll down the board.
But there would be pitfalls ahead for both players: 73…Bb4 74. Bd3 Be1 75. g4 Ke7 76. Ke4 Bg3 77. f5!? (the engines scream now for 77. g5!, which wins outright in lines such as 77…hxg5 78. fxg5 Kf8 78. h6 g6 80. e6 Bd6 81. Kd5 Be7 82. Bxg6) Kd7 78. Kd5?! (again 78. g5! hxg5 79. c5!! bxc5 80. f6 gxf6 81. h6 wins) Bh4, and now White nearly throws away the win with 79. f6? (Kxd4 Bf2+ 80. Ke4 preserves White’s winning edge) gxf6 80. e6+, and Nakamura could have secured a miracle draw with 80…Kc7! 81. Bg6 d3! 82. Bxd3 Kd8 83. Kc6 Bf2, and White can’t make progress.
Instead, the Black king goes the wrong way and Caruana takes the point on 80…Ke7?? 81. Kc6 Kxe6 82. Kxb6 Be1 83. c5, and Black resigns as it’s hopeless after 83…Kd7 (Bg3 84. c6 Kd5 85 c7) 84. c6+ Kc8 85 Bf5+.
The 20-year-old Sindarov had been one of the hottest players coming into the Candidates, but his first-round Queen’s Gambit Exchange line against the lower-rated Esipenko proved to be a bumpy ride. By 21. g3 a6 22. Kg2 Bf7, White’s bishop on e5 looks impressive but has little to do, while Black will soon activate his own bishops and has multiple ways to improve his position.
But Black overplays his hand and allows the young Uzbek star to turns the tables on 27. Bd1 Bxf3+?! (this wins the d-pawn but gives White the opening to launch a powerful counterattack; Black keeps a clear edge with 27…Bb6! in lines such as 28. Qb2 [Qa2? Bxf3+ 29. Bxf3 Bxd4] b4 29. bxc4 dxc4 30. Rc1 c3) 28. Qxf3 Bb6 29. Ra6! Nxd4 30. Qh5!, and Black is virtually forced to sacrifice the exchange to ease the pressure.
With both players short of time, Esipenko reacts poorly to the change in his fortunes (31…Bc7! and 32…dxc4+ would both have put up a tougher defense) and White’s suddenly liberated pieces flood his position: 34. Qg6! Ba7 35. Re8! Rxe8 (Nc6 36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. Rxa7! Nxa7 38. Qe8 mate) 36. Qxe8+ Kh7 37. Qg6+ Kg8 38. Bd7 c3 39. Qe8+ Kh7 40. Qg6+ Kg8. Having made the first time control, Sindarov delivers the KO punch with 41. Re6!, forcing resignation as a deadly check on e8 is threatened and also losing is 41…Nxe6 42. Bxe6+ Kh8 43. Qe8+ Kh7 44. Bxf5+ g6 45. Qxg6+ Kh8 46. Qh7 mate.
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Slovenian GM Bruno Parma, the former world junior champion who died last month at the age of 84, was considered one of the premier positional players of his era. So many of his games, in fact, ended in solidly-played draws that he earned the nickname “Peaceful Parma.”
But you don’t get to the very top ranks of chess without the ability to play in a variety of styles, and the two-time Slovenian national champ could mix it up when the situation demanded. Take, for instance, his wild and thoroughly entertaining slugfest with fellow Slovenian GM Albin Planinc from a 1976 tournament.
The Open Ruy Lopez (5…Nxe4) has a well-earned reputation for leading to creative play, and already by 10. d6!? Bxd6!?, Black is sacrificing the exchange to initiate his own attack on the White king on 11. Qd5+ Kh8 12. Nf7+ Rxf7 (just to make sure you’re paying attention, of course not 12…Kg8?? 13. Nh6+ Kh8 14. Qg8+! Rxg8 15. Nf7 mate) 13. Qxf7 Bxh2+!, when 14. Kxh2?? leads to disaster after 14…Qh4+ 15. Kg1 Qxf2+ 16. Kh2 Qh4+ 17. Kg1 Qxe1+.
Parma keeps the hits coming with 17. Nc3 Qh4 18. Qxf5?! (better was 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 19. Re3 Be5 20. Rh3 Qf6 21. Qxf6 Bxf6, with roughly equal chances) Nxf2! 19. Qf7 (Qxf2? Bg3 20. Qg1 Rf8+ 21. Ke2 Qg4+ 22. Kd3 Qg6+ 23. Ne4 Bxe4+ 24. Rxe4 d5) h6 20. Re7 Rg8 21. Bxh6 — both kings appear to be in mortal peril, but Black deftly navigates to a position where his superb bishop pair will reign supreme.
After 25. Qe3 Qh4+, Black trails slightly in material, but that bishop tandem and White’s far more exposed king give Parma an enduring initiative.
In a still semi-irrational position, Black nearly spoils his fine work after 28. Nd1 Qg4+ 29. Kd2 Qxg2+?! (cleaner was first 29…Bf4+!; e.g. 30. Ne3 Qxg2+ 31. Qe2 Qd5+ 32. Qd3 Qe5 33. Re1 Be4 34. Qxd7 Bf5 35. Qc6 Qd4+ 36. Kc1 Bxe3+ and Black stays on top) 30. Kc1 Bf4+ 31. Kb1 Be4 32. Qc4+ d5, and now White could have fought his way back into the game with 33. Qxb4! Qxc2+ 34. Ka2 c5 35. Qb6 Bc1 36. Qd8+ Kh7 37. Qh4+ Kg6 38. Qg4+, and the checks will be hard for Black to escape.
Instead, on the game’s 33. Qc6? Qd2 34. Ka2 Qxc2! (35. Qxc2? Bxc2 36. Nf2 d4 leaves White virtually paralyzed), Black’s bishops not only keep up the attack, but after 39. Nd2 Bg6 form an impregnable bunker for their own king.
It’s over on 40. Qe2 Qb6, and Planinc’s clotted pieces have no good answer to the threat of 41…Qa5 mate.
Sindarov-Esipenko, FIDE Candidates Tournament, Cap St. Georges, Cyprus, March 2026
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 O-O 7. e3 c5 8. Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O c4 10. Bc2 Nh5 11. Be5 f6 12. Bg3 f5 13. Be5 Be6 14. b3 Qa5 15. Ne2 b5 16. Nf4 Nxf4 17. exf4 Qd8 18. Re1 Qd7 19. Re3 Rae8 20. h4 h6 21. g3 a6 22. Kg2 Bf7 23. Qd2 Bb4 24. Qe2 Bh5 25. a4 Ba5 26. axb5 axb5 27. Bd1 Bxf3+ 28. Qxf3 Bb6 29. Ra6 Nxd4 30. Qh5 Rxe5 31. Rxe5 Qc6 32. bxc4 bxc4 33. Ba4 Qc5 34. Qg6 Ba7 35. Re8 Rxe8 36. Qxe8+ Kh7 37. Qg6+ Kg8 38. Bd7 c3 39. Qe8+ Kh7 40. Qg6+ Kg8 41. Re6 Black resigns
Planinc-Parma, Banja Luka, Yugoslavia, November 1976
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4 6.d4 Be7 7.Re1 f5 8.d5 Na5 9.Nxe5 O-O 10.d6 Bxd6 11.Qd5+ Kh8 12.Nf7+ Rxf7 13.Qxf7 Bxh2+ 14.Kf1 b5 15.Bb3 Nxb3 16.axb3 Bb7 17.Nc3 Qh4 18.Qxf5 Nxf2 19.Qf7 h6 20.Re7 Rg8 21.Bxh6 Qxh6 22.Kxf2 Bd6 23.Re8 Rxe8 24.Qxe8+ Kh7 25.Qe3 Qh4+ 26.Ke2 b4 27.Qd3+ Kg8 28.Nd1 Qg4+ 29.Kd2 Qxg2+ 30.Kc1 Bf4+ 31.Kb1 Be4 32.Qc4+ d5 33.Qc6 Qd2 34.Ka2 Qxc2 35.Qe8+ Kh7 36.Qh5+ Bh6 37.Ne3 Qc5 38.Nc4 Qc6 39.Nd2 Bg6 40.Qe2 Qb6 White resigns
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