FIDE Candidates 2026 R10: Sindarov Strikes again, beats Praggnanandhaa to extend his lead

by Devansh Singh - 10/04/2026

After 10 rounds of play at FIDE Candidates 2026, it seems like no one can stop Javokhir Sindarov's dream run. In the 10th round, Sindarov defeated R Praggnanandhaa for the 2nd consecutive time in the tournament to reach 8/10 points and extended his lead by 2 points over Anish Giri, who drew his game against Hikaru Nakamura. Other 2 games in the open section ended in a draw. In the Women's section, Vaishali Rameshbabu emerged as the sole leader after the 10th round. She drew her game against Anna Muzychuk, while Zhu Jiner, who was co-leading before this round, lost to Bibisara Assaubayeva. Divya Deshmukh also suffered a tough loss against Aleksandra Goryachkina. 10th April is the rest day, and Round 11 will start on 11th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE

Javokhir Sindarov or Win-darov??

What Javokhir Sindarov is doing right now at FIDE Candidates 2026 is going to get praised and applauded for a long, long time. His sensational run here in Cyprus will inspire many youngsters. At this point, only a miracle can stop Sindarov, but in practical terms, it is safe to say that Gukesh has already found his new challenger after 10 rounds of play. In the last Candidates, it was not clear until the final round, but this time Sindarov has already won 6 out of 10 games and scored an unbeaten 8/10 to get closer to that spot.

Javokhir 'Win'darov

Open Section

In the Open Section of the FIDE Candidates 2026, there was only one decisive result in which Javokhir Sindarov defeated R Praggnanandhaa, increasing his sole lead over Anish Giri by 2 points. Anish Giri drew his game against Hikaru Nakamura. Wei Yi and Fabiano Caruana also drew their game. Andrey Esipenko and Matthias Bluebaum have yet to win their first game and have drawn their game too.

Hard luck for Praggnanandhaa, as now it's nearly impossible for him to play for that spot

Javokhir Sindarov vs R Praggnanandhaa (1-0)

Praggnanandhaa had a better score against Javokhir Sindarov before coming to this tournament, but here in Cyprus, Sindarov won both of his games against Pragg. In the second encounter between the two players, we witnessed a sharp theoretical line followed by some amazing continuation by Sindarov.

Javokhir Sindarov vs. R. Praggnanandhaa

After the sharp opening play, this position occurred with black having an extra bishop, white got 2 pawns for the bishop, and the exposed king as compensation.

This photo sums up the situation of the game

Praggnanandhaa played 22.Bd7 and allowed a beautiful sequence starting with 23.Rf7, giving up 2 Rooks for the Queen, and finally winning that loose bishop on d7. Normally, 2 rooks vs queen is a good compensation, but the black's weak king and white's extra pawns helped Sindarov convert this easily.

Javokhir Sindarov vs R Praggnanandhaa (1-0)

Check out the game along with IM Sagar Shah's commentary | Video: ChessBase India

Anish Giri vs Hikaru Nakamura (0.5-0.5)

It was a solid draw between Anish Giri and Hikaru Nakamura. Check out the interesting last position of the game.

Black to play, find the draw

Anish Giri vs Hikaru Nakamura (0.5-0.5)

Wei Yi vs Fabiano Caruana (0.5-0.5)

When Sindarov's game is more interesting than yours

Andrey Esipenko vs Matthias Bluebaum (0.5-0.5)

With 4 rounds to go, Anish still has a chance

Round 10 Results | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 10 | Graphic: FIDE

Player of the day | Graphic: FIDE

Round 11 Pairings:

Replay games of the Open section

Women's Section

After 10 rounds of play at the FIDE Women's Candidates 2026, Vaishali Rameshbabu has emerged as the sole leader. Vaishali drew her game against Anna Muzychuk in the 10th round, and Bibisara defeated the other leader, Zhu Jiner. Vaishali is now leading with 6/10 points. From an equal endgame, Divya Deshmukh made a huge mistake and went on to lose against Aleksandra Goryachkina. Kateryna Lagno drew against Tan Zhongyi.

Sole leader: Vaishali Rameshbabu 6/10 points

Divya Deshmukh vs Aleksandra Goryachkina (0-1)

Divya Deshmukh lost in a long endgame against Aleksandra Goryachkina. Divya missed a drawing resource under time pressure, allowing Goryachkina to create a winning chance, and it was Aleksandra's first win of the tournament.

Divya Deshmukh vs Aleksandra Goryachkina (0-1)

Bibisara Assaubayeva vs Zhu Jiner (1-0)

This leadership change happened because Zhu Jiner lost a complex game against Bibisara Assaubayeva. Bibisara managed to navigate a tense middle game, eventually winning material and promoting a second queen to seal the victory.

Bibisara Assaubayeva vs Zhu Jiner (1-0)

Anna Muzychuk vs Vaishali Rameshbabu (0.5-0.5)

Kateryna Lagno vs Tan Zhongyi (0.5-0.5)

When your friend is also winning

Round 10 Results | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 10 | Graphic: FIDE

Round 11 Pairing

Replay games of the Women's section

Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, FIDE

Beautiful Venue at Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus

Look who is here

Hikaru with a young fan

Boris Gelfand played a simultaneous exhibition match

What a cinematic click

When the other game is way more interesting than yours

All focus on the man of the moment: Javokhir Sindarov

Just look at this beautiful place

GM Boris Gelfand is playing simultaneously

Can you spot the player in the back?

Happy Happy Happy!!

Boris Gelfand made the inaugural move

Aleksandra Goryachkina during post match Interview

Can you spot ChessBase India's team?

Videos:

Watch the starting moments of Round 10 as the players make their way in for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026. | Video: ChessBase India

In the 10th round of the FIDE Candidates 2026, Hikaru Nakamura made a solid draw with the Black pieces against Anish Giri. We caught up with Hikaru for a short interview after the game - he speaks about the game, about Sindarov's game, and the Netflix documentary on Hans Niemann! | Video: ChessBase India

Check out the amazing post-game press conference, glimpses from the fan zone, and a wholesome moment at the end as Sindarov waits for his friend Bibisara to congratulate her after her second win against Zhu Jiner in the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026. | Video: ChessBase India

It was a very exciting day at the 10th round of the FIDE Candidates 2026 - get to know all that happened in this Recap video straight from Cyprus. | Video: ChessBase India

Live Stream

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

Pairings: Round 11

Graphic: FIDE

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/18:15 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.