Javokhir Sindarov wins the FIDE Candidates with a round to spare - 13

Javokhir Sindarov will play Gukesh for the World Chess Championship title later in the year. He confirmed his first place in the FIDE Candidates tournament in Cyprus with a draw against Anish Giri. Giri set Sindarov some problems but they weren't enough for a serious advantage at any point and a drawn rook and pawn endgame was reached. Giri looks set to finish second but he was obviously disappointed after the game.

The women's Candidates continues its unpredictable course. Vaishali Rameshbabu survived an inferior position against Tan Zhongyi and this allowed Bibisara Assaubayeva to join her in the lead after beating Anna Muzychuk. The final day will be very tense. A tie will lead to a playoff.

Round 13 (of 14) Standings: 1st Javokhir Sindarov, 9½/13. 2nd Anish Giri, 7½. 3rd-4th Fabiano Caruana and Yi Wei, 6½. 5th-6th Matthias Bluebaum and Hikaru Nakamura, 6. 7th R Praggnanandhaa, 5½. 8th Andrey Esipenko, 4½. 8 players.

Round 13 (of 14) Standings: 1st-2nd Bibisara Assaubayeva and Rameshbabu Vaishali, 7½/13. 3rd Jiner Zhu, 7. 4th-6th Anna Muzychuk, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno, 6½. 7th Zhongyi Tan, 5½. 8th Deshmukh Divya, 5. 8 players.

Round 14 Wednesday 15th April 2026

Andrey Esipenko — Fabiano Caruana, Praggnanandhaa R vs Hikaru Nakamura, Matthias Bluebaum vs Anish Giri, Javokhir Sindarov vs Wei Yi.

FIDE Women’s Candidates Round 14:

Anna Muzychuk vs Zhu Jiner, Aleksandra Goryachkina vs Tan Zhongyi, Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Kateryna Lagno, Divya Deshmukh vs Bibisara Assaubayeva.