FIDE Candidates 2026 R1: Praggnanandhaa starts with a win over Anish Giri

by Devansh Singh - 30/03/2026

The FIDE Candidates 2026 started in style, with 3 decisive results in 4 games in the Open section. R Praggnanandhaa won a beautiful game against Anish Giri to start the campaign on a high note. It was a nearly perfect game where Pragg outplayed Anish. Hikaru Nakamura suffered a loss against Countryman Fabiano Caruana in a long marathon game. Javokhir Sindarov won his game against Andrey Esipenko with the white pieces. Matthias Bluebaum drew his game against Wei Yi. In the Women's section, it was a peaceful day as all 4 games ended in a draw. Round 2 will start today at 15:30 Local Time/18:00 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza / FIDE

Peaceful day in the Women's section

In the Women's section, all 4 games ended in a draw, where Divya Deshmukh drew her game against Anna Muzychuk, who replaced Koneru Humpy at the last moment. Vaishali Rameshbabu drew her game against Bibisara Assaubayeva. The clash between Chinese players Tan Zhongyi and Zhu Jiner ended in a draw. Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina drew their game. It was a day filled with solid chess, minimal risk, and concrete plans.

Vaishali Rameshbabu started the event with a solid draw | Photo: Michal Walusza

Open Section

The day was filled with exciting games and great chess. R Praggnanandhaa outplayed Anish Giri with white pieces, Esipenko blundered in an equal position to lose against Javokhir. Caruana started the campaign by winning a long game in the opposite colour bishop endgame, and finally, the 'greatbluebaumsweep' is not possible as Bluebaum drew his first game.

Tough loss for Hikaru | Photo: Michal Walusza

Praggnanandhaa vs Anish Giri (1-0)

In the game between Praggnanandhaa and Anish Giri, Praggnanandhaa decided to play Grand Prix Attack against Giri's Sicilian Najdorf. Praggananandha got a comfortable position out of the opening. On move no 28. Praggananandha captured a pawn on h7. Under time pressure, Anish made a big mistake, allowing the rook endgame with a clearly better position for Praggnanandhaa. It was a clean win for Praggnanandhaa to start the event, which will boost his confidence.

In this position, Anish played 36....Nf6, allowing 37.Re6, following the exchanges of knights and Harry, the H pawn gets pushed with tempo, and eventually that pawn helped Pragg in winning the game. Check out the game below

Praggnanandhaa vs Anish Giri (1-0) | Photo: Michal Walusza

Check out the analysis here | Video: ChessBase India

Check out the final moments of Praggnanandhaa taking down Anish Giri in the 1st round of FIDE Candidates 2026, along with the complete post-game press conference with both players | Video: ChessBase India

Javokhir Sindarov vs Andrey Esipenko (1-0)

The game between Javokhir Sindarov and Andrey Esipenko started with an equal position out of the opening. Esipenko was pushing in the middlegame and had a better piece placement before he blundered on move no 31.

In an equal position, Esipenko blundered and played 31...Qc6 allows Javokhir to play 32.bxc4, followed by Ba4, allowing that passive-looking light-squared bishop to get into the game with checkmating Threats.

Javokhir Sindarov vs Andrey Esipenko (1-0) | Photo: Michal Walusza

Fabiano Caruana vs Hikaru Nakamura (1-0)

It was a marathon game between two Americans in the first round of the candidates. Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana played a long game filled with twists and turns till end. For the better part of the game, Caruana was clearly better in opposite coloured bishop endgame and was pressing towards a win, on move 80 Hikaru got a chance to hold the position but missed it under time pressure, and Caruana won a beautiful game.

Fabiano Caruana vs Hikaru Nakamura (1-0) | Photo: Michal Walusza

The game between Matthias Bluebaum and Wei Yi ended in a draw after Wei Yi sacrificed his rook to force perpetual checks and drew the game. | Photo: Michal Walusza

Round 1 Results | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 1 | Graphic: FIDE

Replay games of the Open section

Women's Section

Zhu Jiner vs Tan Zhongyi (0.5-0.5) | Photo: Michal Walusza

The game between Vaishali Rameshbabu and Bibisara Assaubayeva ended in a draw, but at one point Vaishali was in time scramble and had to make 12 moves in under a minute to reach the second time control and she managed to play it and drew her first game. | Photo: Michal Walusza

Divya Deshmukh vs Anna Muzychuk (0.5-0.5) | Photo: Michal Walusza

Kateryna Lagno vs Aleksandra Goryachkina (0.5-0.5) | Photo: Michal Walusza

Round 1 Result | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 1 | Graphic: FIDE

Replay games of the Women's section

Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, FIDE

Vishy is always surrounded by fans | Photo: Michal Walusza

We met the 5-time World Champion and FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand at the FIDE Candidates 2026 in Cyprus. In this interview, Vishy shares his detailed thoughts about the lineup in Candidates this year, and takes us through some of the key moments of his amazing Candidates 2014 victory in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

Look at those screens!!! | Photo: Michal Walusza

Arkady Dvorkovich made the ceremonial move in the women's section | Photo: Michal Walusza

Official commentator: Peter Svidler | Photo: Michal Walusza

Official commentator: Jan Gustafsson | Photo: Michal Walusza

Caruana Fabiano is in a good mood after winning a long game | Photo: Michal Walusza

Pragg starts with a win | Photo: Michal Walusza

American Clash!!! | Photo: Michal Walusza

Round 1 recap by IM Sagar Shah | Video: ChessBase India

Watch Live Stream by IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal from Cyprus | Video: ChesBase India

Venue: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus

Official FIDE partner for Candidates 2026 | Photo: FIDE Chess

The multi-award-winning Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort has been selected by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) as the ideal destination to host the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026, an event of historic and international significance. This selection represents the highest recognition both for Cyprus and for Cap St Georges Hotel& Resort, affirming the prestige, reliability, and organizational excellence required to host a world-class chess tournament. Surrounded by landscaped gardens with centuries-old olive trees, the resort reflects the island’s character through refined architecture and well-designed spaces, with a strong focus on privacy, comfort, and attentive service.

Both tournaments are held side by side at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort in Cyprus, a five-star coastal venue near Paphos. The resort offers a calm and professional setting for elite competition, with the playing hall, accommodation, and preparation areas located within the same complex, allowing players to focus fully on the event. Photo Gallery of Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort

Enjoy an amazing venue tour of the FIDE Candidates 2026 in Cyprus, happening at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Paphos. Sagar and Amruta give an extensive tour. Enjoy!

Schedule and Format

Each tournament features eight of the world’s strongest players competing in a double round-robin format over fourteen rounds of classical chess. All the games will start at 15:30 Local Time/18:00 IST

Key details and Information

Two tournaments will be held side by side – the (Open) FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.

Format: In both the Open and the Women’s, the eight qualified players will compete in a double round-robin tournament, consisting of 14 rounds.

Time control: The games will be played with a time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 41.

Prize fund: The minimum prize fund for the event stands at a record €1,000,000.

Tie-breaks: In the event of a tie for first place after 14 rounds, a playoff will be held to determine the winner who qualifies for the World Championship Match, which will take place in November 2026.