PAPHOS (Cyprus), April 6 — Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa heads into the eighth round of the Candidates Tournament desperate for a win as he faces Dutchman Anish Giri on Tuesday, seeking momentum at the halfway mark of the event. The 20-year-old from Chennai shares third place with Giri on 3.5 points from seven rounds and has seven rounds left to improve his standing in the fight to become the challenger to reigning world champion D. Gukesh later this year.
Praggnanandhaa opened the tournament with a victory over Giri but has since struggled to convert chances into wins. He has drawn five games and suffered a single loss so far — against the tournament leader, Javokhir Sindarov — leaving him still searching for a second victory to lift his title hopes.
Sindarov of Uzbekistan has been the tournament’s standout performer. The World Cup winner since last October has delivered a near-flawless display, recording five wins and two draws to sit atop the standings on six points. The only player within striking distance is Fabiano Caruana of the United States on 4.5 points, 1.5 behind the leader.
Round eight pairs Praggnanandhaa with Giri, with Praggnanandhaa having the white pieces. Sindarov must contend with Andrey Esipenko, who occupies the bottom of the standings with two points. Wei Yi of China and Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum are tied on three points, while Hikaru Nakamura trails them on 2.5.
The concurrently running women’s event has been more open, with Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk emerging as the surprise leader on 4.5 points from seven games. Muzychuk replaced Koneru Humpy, who withdrew citing security concerns, and despite limited preparation has produced strong results. Praggnanandhaa’s sister, Vaishali, has found her rhythm and sits second on four points, half a point clear of India’s Divya Deshmukh and Russia’s Kateryna Lagno.
Also on three points are China’s Ziner Zhu, Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva and Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina, each half a point ahead of former women’s world champion Zhongyi Tan of China. For round eight in the women’s event, Vaishali Praggnanandhaa will play with the black pieces against Assaubayeva, while Divya Deshmukh will have black against leader Muzychuk. Pairings for round eight in the open: Anish Giri (NED, 3.5) vs R. Praggnanandhaa (IND, 3.5); Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 2.5) vs Fabiano Caruana (USA, 4.5); Andrey Esipenko (RUS, 2) vs Javokhir Sindarov (UZB, 6); Wei Yi (CHN, 3) vs Matthias Bluebaum (GER, 3). (PTI)
Original Source: https://theshillongtimes.com/2026/04/07/candidates-chess-pragg-under-pressure-at-halfway-stage/
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Publish Date: 2026-04-07 04:24:00
