{"id":45000,"date":"2026-04-07T18:40:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/?p=45000"},"modified":"2026-04-08T19:06:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:06:34","slug":"five-way-tie-keeps-fide-womens-candidates-wide-open-sindarov-increases-his-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/five-way-tie-keeps-fide-womens-candidates-wide-open-sindarov-increases-his-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Five-way tie keeps FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates wide open; Sindarov increases his lead"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"45000\" class=\"elementor elementor-45000\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d436b0 e-flex e-con-boxed wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1d436b0\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e3b926 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9e3b926\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45001\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-1024x663.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-768x497.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aa09229 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"aa09229\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Reinvigorated after the second rest day, the sixteen contenders returned to the playing hall for the first of seven rounds in the second half of the event. Playing with Black, FIDE Candidates tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov held his opponent to a draw this afternoon.\u00a0<\/p><p>Combined with Fabiano Caruana\u2019s 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.<\/p><p>In the FIDE Women\u2019s 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\u2019s field.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78f8c4f elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"78f8c4f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1197\" height=\"748\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Results.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45018\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Results.jpg 1197w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Results-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Results-1024x640.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Results-768x480.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1197px) 100vw, 1197px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dc43079 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dc43079\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Let\u2019s take a closer look at the action this afternoon in the Cap St. Georges Hotel &amp; Resort in Cyprus.<\/p><p>David Luiz, player of Pafos FC and former player for the Brazil national team, Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG, UEFA Champions League winner, made the ceremonial first move in the game between Andrey Esipenko and Javokhir Sindarov, while \u2060Moshe Slav, FIDE Delegate representing Israel and member of the European Chess Union Board opened the Muzychuk vs Divya game.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ae3ad99 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"ae3ad99\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-First-Move.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45014\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-First-Move.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-First-Move-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-First-Move-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-First-Move-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c19f7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"28c19f7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Even before the key game of the round began, commentator GM Peter Svidler predicted that Andrey Episenko would push for a win against tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov. \u201cHe can\u2019t fight for first place, obviously, but he will still want to do something\u2014what could be more memorable than beating the runaway leader?\u201d<\/p><p>As usual, Sindarov blitzed out his moves in a main-line Catalan, building up more than a 30-minute advantage on the clock. \u201cI prepared very well. I expected a Catalan and a long game, and after the opening I reached a position from my preparation,\u201d he explained afterward. On move 20, he made a well-judged pawn sacrifice to seize complete control of the light squares. \u201cI understood that if I didn\u2019t sacrifice a pawn, I would be slightly worse.\u201d<\/p><p>Andrey Episenko spent nearly half an hour searching for a better continuation but ultimately found nothing more than a threefold repetition \u2013 an evaluation even the engines confirm.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ef3e3e elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"2ef3e3e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=TBvtVBITC8w&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-927fba6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"927fba6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Meanwhile, on the other board, the tournament pursuers were in need of points. Hikaru Nakamura has traditionally enjoyed a strong record against Fabiano Caruana, but he has not been performing at his usual level in Cyprus. Still, in his recaps he continues to stress a \u201cgame-by-game\u201d approach, ready to seize any opportunity that arises.<\/p><p>This afternoon, his opening preparation paid off. \u201cI played this same line against Oparin, Caruana\u2019s second!\u201d noted Jan Gustafsson during the live broadcast. Caruana soon found himself significantly behind on the clock, down nearly an hour.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bb2d8ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"bb2d8ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"797\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Nakamura-Caruana.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45017\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Nakamura-Caruana.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Nakamura-Caruana-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Nakamura-Caruana-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Nakamura-Caruana-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be53edf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"be53edf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Nonetheless, Fabiano\u2019s solid play kept him well in the game, as he gradually simplified into a double-rook endgame, positions that are notoriously tricky to handle.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Position of the day <\/strong><\/p><pre><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-45013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-DG01.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"519\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-DG01.jpg 850w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-DG01-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-DG01-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-DG01-768x767.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/pre><p>With around fourteen minutes on his clock to make twelve moves, Fabiano Caruana played <strong>28\u2026h5?<\/strong><\/p><p>Although he was already slightly worse in the endgame, Caruana still had solid drawing chances with 28\u2026Ra-b2!, conceding the a5-pawn but activating his rook along the second rank and heading for a defensible rook ending a pawn down.<\/p><p>The problem with 28\u2026h5 is that after <strong>29.Rd1! Rb-b2 30.Rd8+ Kh7 31.Rd7! Rxf2 32.Rxg7+<\/strong>, White\u2019s rooks penetrate decisively to the seventh rank. In such positions, their activity becomes overwhelming. Even though Hikaru Nakamura had to work until move 67 to convert the advantage, the outcome was no longer seriously in doubt.<\/p><p>You can also check out Hikaru Nakamura\u2019s post-game press conference, where he goes through the critical moments in detail.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-baa0274 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"baa0274\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=qiyG64Dlg2w&amp;t=1s&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9a1d3fe elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9a1d3fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Praggnanandhaa R opted for one of the sharp and unbalanced lines in the Queen\u2019s Gambit Accepted that he enjoys so much, but once again Anish Giri\u2019s opening preparation proved excellent, with the Dutchman only beginning to think seriously around move thirteen.<\/p><p>Capitalizing on a couple of inaccuracies, Giri steered the game into a position featuring a strong knight against a weak bishop, along with a slightly superior pawn structure.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-41351c8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"41351c8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"766\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Giri-Pragg.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45015\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Giri-Pragg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Giri-Pragg-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Giri-Pragg-1024x654.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Giri-Pragg-768x490.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07cc9a5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"07cc9a5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>From there, the grind began: the Dutch grandmaster methodically created a passed pawn, which ultimately decided the game in his favor.<\/p><p>Both players later joined the press conference to share their thoughts on the game and their overall performance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-476d0a6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"476d0a6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=lUHXtdov89A&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c08302 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3c08302\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Wei Yi once again returned to his favorite Vienna Game\u2013Bishop\u2019s Opening, a surprising choice after the rest day, when his opponent would have had ample time to prepare. He offered an early pawn sacrifice, which Matthias Bluebaum declined in favor of a more solid approach with Black: a sensible strategy against such an aggressive opponent.<\/p><p>Still, Wei Yi is always looking to complicate matters, and he soon found a way to sacrifice an entire rook to expose Black\u2019s castled king. Although the engines suggested nothing more than a perpetual check, Wei Yi spent over half an hour searching for winning chances before ultimately having to settle for a draw.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88fddd7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"88fddd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1199\" height=\"802\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Yi-Bluebaum.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45023\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Yi-Bluebaum.jpg 1199w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Yi-Bluebaum-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Yi-Bluebaum-1024x685.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Yi-Bluebaum-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1199px) 100vw, 1199px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-388c8a6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"388c8a6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates, this afternoon\u2019s results have dramatically reshaped the standings, with five players now tied for first place and six rounds remaining. The most important encounter featured Anna Muzychuk against Divya Deshmukh. \u201cProbably the pairing of the day. Divya has had a bit of resurgence and was very close to winning her last two games,\u201d noted Peter Svidler during the live stream.<\/p><p>Around move twenty, Muzychuk was already enjoying a clear spatial advantage, with no weaknesses and promising attacking prospects on the kingside. \u201cI\u2019m impressed with Anna\u2019s opening preparation, considering she is the only player who hasn\u2019t been preparing for the last few months,\u201d reflected Svidler. \u201cDivya does like her \u2026c5 structures, but this time she allowed the Maroczy Bind, and Anna, as a classical player, is very comfortable controlling the centre. The engine generally prefers White\u2019s grip, so it\u2019s difficult to keep the balance,\u201d added Jan Gustafsson.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-605340b elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"605340b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Muzychuk-Deshmukh.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45003\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Muzychuk-Deshmukh.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Muzychuk-Deshmukh-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Muzychuk-Deshmukh-1024x660.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Muzychuk-Deshmukh-768x495.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-43ef735 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"43ef735\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Muzychuk gradually pressed her advantage and at one point reached a completely winning position, but she faltered in time trouble. The position eventually simplified to a draw, but in an attempt to play for more, she overpressed and ultimately had to concede defeat. A major setback for the Ukrainian grandmaster, who now shares the lead with four others after previously holding a full-point advantage.<\/p><p>In her post-game press conference, Divya said she should have won one of her earlier games as well, describing both that one and this encounter as topsy-turvy. She added that, in the end, things tend to balance out.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8db95fa elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8db95fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"833\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Deshmukh.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45012\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Deshmukh.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Deshmukh-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Deshmukh-1024x711.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Deshmukh-768x533.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-354b332 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"354b332\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In her game against Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno introduced a relatively new idea featuring a positional pawn sacrifice. The concept proved effective, as Goryachkina soon fell behind on the clock and, although she may have suspected the pawn capture was not the most accurate, she was unable to find a satisfactory alternative and quickly drifted into a clearly lost position.<\/p><p>\u201cI think Goryachkina probably didn\u2019t know the opening well and may have played 15\u2026f5 to get out of my preparation, as I was blitzing my moves,\u201d Lagno noted in her post-game interview.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9fab590 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"9fab590\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=ypfvitbcoqg&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2511cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a2511cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In another key encounter, Zhu Jiner, playing Black in a classical Nimzo-Indian Defence, faced the Capablanca Variation with 4.Qc2 from Tan Zhongyi. Both players blitzed through the opening phase, but once theory ended Zhu Jiner began to think deeply, eventually formulating a strong plan that left her with a comfortable position against an isolated d-pawn.<\/p><p>She steadily increased her advantage, achieving an impressive 95% accuracy performance, while keeping her chances alive in the race to win the event and qualify for the World Championship match.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-454bc39 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"454bc39\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"806\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Tan-Jiner-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45027\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Tan-Jiner-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Tan-Jiner-1-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Tan-Jiner-1-1024x688.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Tan-Jiner-1-768x516.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-98def0e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"98def0e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the final game of the round, R Vaishali repeated the same line she had used successfully in round six against Bibisara Assaubayeva, reaching a comfortable and playable position that came as a surprise in the commentators\u2019 booth, given Assaubayeva\u2019s opening choice.<\/p><p>Nevertheless, Assaubayeva managed to keep things under control. Although Vaishali pressed her small edge into the endgame, the game ultimately fizzled out into a draw.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-afadc27 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"afadc27\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1170\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Trophies.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45021\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Trophies.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Trophies-300x293.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Trophies-1024x998.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Trophies-768x749.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99b7346 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"99b7346\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Off the board, the fan zone featured a Q&amp;A session with Sagar Shah of ChessBase India, followed by a meet-and-greet with Viswanathan Anand and a photo session with the Candidates\u2019 Cups. In addition, Wei Yi and several other players joined fans for photos and autographs.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Standings after Round 8<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-135a043 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"135a043\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1197\" height=\"749\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Standings.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-45019\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Standings.jpg 1197w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Standings-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Standings-1024x641.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/C-D08-Standings-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1197px) 100vw, 1197px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ce436b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5ce436b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The ninth round will commence on April 8 at 3:30 pm (Cyprus).<\/p><p>Official website:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/candidates2026.fide.com\/\">https:\/\/candidates2026.fide.com\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p>Event photo gallery:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/fide\/\">https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/fide\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p>Live daily broadcast with GM commentary:\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FIDE_chess\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@FIDE_chess<\/a><\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Written by IM Michael A. Rahal (Cyprus)<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>Photos: Michal Walusza, Yoav Nis (Eugene Nisenbaum)<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2583594 e-flex e-con-boxed wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2583594\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-87d9fd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"87d9fd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Candidates-2026-Sponsors.jpg\" title=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reinvigorated after the second rest day, the sixteen contenders returned to the playing hall for the first of seven rounds in the second half of the event. Playing with Black, FIDE Candidates tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov held his opponent to a draw this afternoon.\u00a0 Combined with Fabiano Caruana\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s field. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the action this afternoon in the Cap St. Georges Hotel &amp; Resort in Cyprus. David Luiz, player of Pafos FC and former player for the Brazil national team, Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG, UEFA Champions League winner, made the ceremonial first move in the game between Andrey Esipenko and Javokhir Sindarov, while \u2060Moshe Slav, FIDE Delegate representing Israel and member of the European Chess Union Board opened the Muzychuk vs Divya game. Even before the key game of the round began, commentator GM Peter Svidler predicted that Andrey Episenko would push for a win against tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov. \u201cHe can\u2019t fight for first place, obviously, but he will still want to do something\u2014what could be more memorable than beating the runaway leader?\u201d As usual, Sindarov blitzed out his moves in a main-line Catalan, building up more than a 30-minute advantage on the clock. \u201cI prepared very well. I expected a Catalan and a long game, and after the opening I reached a position from my preparation,\u201d he explained afterward. On move 20, he made a well-judged pawn sacrifice to seize complete control of the light squares. \u201cI understood that if I didn\u2019t sacrifice a pawn, I would be slightly worse.\u201d Andrey Episenko spent nearly half an hour searching for a better continuation but ultimately found nothing more than a threefold repetition \u2013 an evaluation even the engines confirm. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TBvtVBITC8w Meanwhile, on the other board, the tournament pursuers were in need of points. Hikaru Nakamura has traditionally enjoyed a strong record against Fabiano Caruana, but he has not been performing at his usual level in Cyprus. Still, in his recaps he continues to stress a \u201cgame-by-game\u201d approach, ready to seize any opportunity that arises. This afternoon, his opening preparation paid off. \u201cI played this same line against Oparin, Caruana\u2019s second!\u201d noted Jan Gustafsson during the live broadcast. Caruana soon found himself significantly behind on the clock, down nearly an hour. Nonetheless, Fabiano\u2019s solid play kept him well in the game, as he gradually simplified into a double-rook endgame, positions that are notoriously tricky to handle. Position of the day With around fourteen minutes on his clock to make twelve moves, Fabiano Caruana played 28\u2026h5? Although he was already slightly worse in the endgame, Caruana still had solid drawing chances with 28\u2026Ra-b2!, conceding the a5-pawn but activating his rook along the second rank and heading for a defensible rook ending a pawn down. The problem with 28\u2026h5 is that after 29.Rd1! Rb-b2 30.Rd8+ Kh7 31.Rd7! Rxf2 32.Rxg7+, White\u2019s rooks penetrate decisively to the seventh rank. In such positions, their activity becomes overwhelming. Even though Hikaru Nakamura had to work until move 67 to convert the advantage, the outcome was no longer seriously in doubt. You can also check out Hikaru Nakamura\u2019s post-game press conference, where he goes through the critical moments in detail. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qiyG64Dlg2w&#038;t=1s Praggnanandhaa R opted for one of the sharp and unbalanced lines in the Queen\u2019s Gambit Accepted that he enjoys so much, but once again Anish Giri\u2019s opening preparation proved excellent, with the Dutchman only beginning to think seriously around move thirteen. Capitalizing on a couple of inaccuracies, Giri steered the game into a position featuring a strong knight against a weak bishop, along with a slightly superior pawn structure. From there, the grind began: the Dutch grandmaster methodically created a passed pawn, which ultimately decided the game in his favor. Both players later joined the press conference to share their thoughts on the game and their overall performance. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lUHXtdov89A Wei Yi once again returned to his favorite Vienna Game\u2013Bishop\u2019s Opening, a surprising choice after the rest day, when his opponent would have had ample time to prepare. He offered an early pawn sacrifice, which Matthias Bluebaum declined in favor of a more solid approach with Black: a sensible strategy against such an aggressive opponent. Still, Wei Yi is always looking to complicate matters, and he soon found a way to sacrifice an entire rook to expose Black\u2019s castled king. Although the engines suggested nothing more than a perpetual check, Wei Yi spent over half an hour searching for winning chances before ultimately having to settle for a draw. In the FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates, this afternoon\u2019s results have dramatically reshaped the standings, with five players now tied for first place and six rounds remaining. The most important encounter featured Anna Muzychuk against Divya Deshmukh. \u201cProbably the pairing of the day. Divya has had a bit of resurgence and was very close to winning her last two games,\u201d noted Peter Svidler during the live stream. Around move twenty, Muzychuk was already enjoying a clear spatial advantage, with no weaknesses and promising attacking prospects on the kingside. \u201cI\u2019m impressed with Anna\u2019s opening preparation, considering she is the only player who hasn\u2019t been preparing for the last few months,\u201d reflected Svidler. \u201cDivya does like her \u2026c5 structures, but this time she allowed the Maroczy Bind, and Anna, as a classical player, is very comfortable controlling the centre. The engine generally prefers White\u2019s grip, so it\u2019s difficult to keep the balance,\u201d added Jan Gustafsson. Muzychuk gradually pressed her advantage and at one point reached a completely winning position, but she faltered in time trouble. The position eventually simplified to a draw, but in an attempt to play for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":45002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[153,69],"regular":[361],"sticky-post":[],"class_list":["post-45000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chess-news","tag-fide-candidates","tag-fide-womens-candidates","regular-regular"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45000"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45045,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45000\/revisions\/45045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45000"},{"taxonomy":"regular","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/regular?post=45000"},{"taxonomy":"sticky-post","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fide.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sticky-post?post=45000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}