Round one of the FIDE Candidates 2026, which will determine the challenger for the World Championship, saw Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeat higher-ranked Anish Giri to begin his campaign on a high.
Praggnanandhaa stretched the contest deep into the endgame, steadily putting Giri under pressure. After nearly 40 moves, the Indian held a decisive advantage with a pawn advantage, effectively shutting down Giri’s chances.
In the most high-profile clash of the day, USA’s Fabiano Caruana trumped compatriot Hikaru Nakamura in a chaotic game that was longest one of the opening round.
Elsewhere in the Open section, Javokhir Sindarov beat Andrey Esipenko, while Wei Yi played out a draw against Matthias Bluebaum.
In the women’s section, the youngest participant of this edition, Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh, looked sharp in the opening phase, but Anna Muzychuk, who entered the tournament just a week earlier following Koneru Humpy’s withdrawal, kept her composure.
Muzychuk neutralised Divya’s aggression with timely exchanges. The game eventually ended in a draw, with neither player able to create a winning chance.
In another game, R Vaishali, playing in her second successive Candidates alongside her brother Praggnanandhaa, opted for a safer approach against Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva.
HIGHLIGHTS – Candidates Round 1
At the end of the middle game, Vaishali found herself in a sticky position, with the clock running down on her. But, the Indian GM found the right move with just seconds to spare to take the game into the add-on time of 30 minutes.
As pieces were gradually exchanged and the game transitioned into a major-piece endgame, the outcome became inevitable, with the players agreeing to a draw.
The all-Chinese contest between Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi ebbed and flowed, with Zhu pressing early and Tan taking control in the middlegame by centralising her queen.
After 40 moves, the queens were traded, with Tan still two pawns up. Zhu then played Qe1 to consolidate before pushing forward with her remaining pieces, closing in on Tan’s king. The players eventually agreed to a draw.
Kateryna Lagno also managed a draw against Aleksandra Goryachkina.
The results (first round):
Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb) bt Andrey Esipenko (Rus); Matthias Bluebaum (Ger) drew with Wei Yi (Chn); R. Praggnanandhaa bt Anish Giri (Ned); Fabaino Caruana (USA) bt Hikaru Nakamura (USA).
Women: Divya Deshmukh drew with Anna Muzychuk (Ukr); R. Vaishali Rameshbabu drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz); Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) Kateryna Lagno (Rus); Zhu Jiner (Chn) drew with Tan Zhongyi (Chn).
Published on Mar 29, 2026
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