By Andrey Avsitidiysky

Four rounds have been played at the Candidates Tournament, taking place at the Cap St Georges Hotel in Cyprus. In the men’s section, 20-year-old Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan has taken the lead, having secured three impressive victories. In the women’s section, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk share first place, having each won one game. April 2 is a rest day. There are still 10 rounds to go.

Javokhir Sindarov is dominating his opponents at the Chess Candidates Tournament in Cyprus

Andrey Esipenko, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Fabiano Caruana – this is the list of players defeated by Sindarov. Once Javokhir secures a promising position, his harmoniously positioned pieces are impossible to stop. Only Matthias Blübaum has managed to hold his own against him in an even contest.

In the third round, in a game against a talented peer from India, the Uzbekistan representative sacrificed a knight for two pawns on the 13th move in pursuit of long-term initiative. The chess engines did not approve of this idea, but, after it was implemented, a complex and acute position arose on the board, which Sindarov handled better.

Javokhir Sindarov is dominating his opponents at the Chess Candidates Tournament in Cyprus

In the fourth round, in the clash between the two leaders, Sindarov demonstrated excellent opening preparation. The Uzbek prodigy strolled around the hall, whilst Caruana ran down the clock. Sindarov was flawless in the technical execution of the advantage he had gained. The No. 3 player in the FIDE rankings resigned when he had 27 seconds left on the clock.

2026 Chess Candidates Tournament in Cyprus

In the women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Anna Muzychuk, who was added to the list of participants at the last minute, are leading. The Kazakhstani player defeated China’s Zhu Jiner, once again demonstrating her strength in counterattacks. The Ukrainian chess player outplayed Kateryna Lagno, sacrificing a bishop for two pawns in the interests of the attack.

Interesting facts

  • Over the course of four days, Javokhir Sindarov moved up the world rankings from 12th to 6th place. Ahead of him are only Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Vincent Keymer.
  • In the third round, Fabiano Caruana defeated Wei Yi in 19 moves. The Chinese grandmaster helped create the miniature by choosing a risky line. As a result, he was left not only without two pawns, but also without a bishop.
  • Kateryna Lagno, playing under a neutral flag, was in a losing position in all four games. However, she ultimately scored 50 per cent of the points and concluded the third game with a combination that will go down in the history books.
  • No one is taking the tournament’s rating favourite, Hikaru Nakamura, seriously. The American, sitting in second-to-last place, has just one and a half points. Meanwhile, underdog Matthias Blübaum has confidently drawn four times.
2026 Chess Candidates Tournament in Cyprus

Tan Zhongyi – Kateryna Lagno – 0:1

42. Qxd5? Nf4! 43. ef Rh6+ 44. Kg3 Qd3+! 45. Qf3 g4!! (Black’s queen cannot be captured due to mate on h3) 46. Rh2 gf (it is time to resign here, but the game continued for another eight moves)

2026 Chess Candidates Tournament in Cyprus

From March 28-April 16, 2026

  • The competition, with a prize fund of one million euros, is organised with the financial support of Freedom Holding and the Sheinberg family.
  • The fan zone hosts masterclasses, lectures, simultaneous exhibitions and discussions featuring world chess stars.
  • Guests of honour are Viswanathan Anand, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Nigel Short, Pavel Tregubov, Victor Bologan.
  • Chess enthusiasts have the opportunity to interact with tournament participants during Q&A sessions, autograph sessions and photo sessions.
  • Grandmasters Peter Svidler and Jan Gustafsson will be providing live commentary on the games on the FIDE YouTube channel.