April 08, 2026 18:05
Sindarov reaping rewards of strategising for years, says chess coach GM Shyam Sundar
Candidates 2026 — Sindarov reaping rewards of strategising for years, says chess coach Shyam Sundar
Javokhir Sindarov has been the story of the tournament. He defeated World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana with 42 minutes on his clock against Caruana’s 48 seconds.
April 08, 2026 17:57
Sindarov enters Round 9 after a draw
Javokhir Sindarov is the leader of the pack, he comes into the match after a quick draw against Andrey Esipenko yesterday. Bluebaum will likely aim for a solid, sterile position to try and halt Sindarov momentum today.
April 08, 2026 17:53
Can Vaishali topple Divya today
GM R Vaishali surged to top by holding Bibisara to draw in Round 8 yesterday. Her most significant recent result was a Round 7 win over former champion Tan Zhongyi.
April 08, 2026 17:51
The players respond to who has best opening ideas, take a look
April 08, 2026 17:49
Praggnanandhaa vs Wei Yi
Praggnanandhaa will aim to bounce back after his Round 8 loss to Anish Giri, and will to use his white-side preparation to break through Wei Yi’s defensive play.
April 08, 2026 17:46
What happened when Vaishali played Divya earlier in tournament
The first all-Indian clash of the event ended in a draw after a hard-fought game arising from the Queen’s Gambit Decline.
April 08, 2026 17:45
Divya Deshmukh to joint-lead
Divya Deshmukh moved into joint lead after a massive Round 8 victory against the previous sole leader, Anna Muzychuk. Earlier, in Round 7, she survived a marathon 135-move draw against Kateryna Lagno.
April 08, 2026 17:39
Divya defeated Anna Muzychuk yesterday, read the report below
FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026, Round 8: Sindarov drops points, held to draw by Esipenko
Sindarov had previously won against the Russian, but this time the game started fast and remained balanced between moves 11 and 18, as both players simplified the center and activated their pieces effectively.
April 08, 2026 17:37
Women section pairings for Round 9 today:
Tan Zhongyi — Anna Muzychuk
Zhu Jiner — Kateryna Lagno
Aleksandra Goryachkina — Bibisara Assaubayeva
Vaishali Rameshbabu — Divya DeshmukhApril 08, 2026 17:36
Open section pairings for Round 9 today:
Hikaru Nakamura — Andrey Esipenko
Fabiano Caruana — Anish Giri
Praggnanandhaa R — Wei Yi
Matthias Bluebaum — Javokhir SindarovApril 08, 2026 17:35
It is Round 9 today
Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s coverage of Round 9 of the ongoing FIDE Candidates.
Published on Apr 08, 2026
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