GM Javokhir Sindarov clinched the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament with a round to spare after drawing GM Anish Giri in Round 13, securing the right to challenge reigning world champion GM Gukesh Dommaraju and collecting the €70,000 first-place prize. The result leaves Sindarov uncatchable heading into the final round on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 (8:45 a.m. ET / 14:45 CEST / 6:15 p.m. IST). This is a flash report — fuller analysis of Round 13 will follow.
Sindarov’s draw was the decisive moment of the Open event, while GM Wei Yi delivered the only win of the day, beating GM Andrey Esipenko for his second victory of the tournament. Other games of note saw GM Fabiano Caruana miss a winning line against GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu just before move 40, ending in a draw, and GM Hikaru Nakamura drawing with GM Matthias Bluebaum. In the final round Sindarov will have White against Wei; a draw there would give him the highest score in Candidates history by half a point, eclipsing the record held by GM Ian Nepomniachtchi.
The Women’s Candidates remains wide open with six players still able to claim victory after Round 13. GMs Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vaishali Rameshbabu share the lead on 7.5/13. Assaubayeva beat GM Anna Muzychuk with White, while Vaishali held on with Black against GM Tan Zhongyi. GM Zhu Jiner, who aimed to take sole lead against GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, overpressed and suffered a shock defeat that left her half a point behind the leaders. GM Kateryna Lagno’s win over GM Divya Deshmukh keeps her in contention for a playoff berth. Only Tan Zhongyi and Divya Deshmukh are now mathematically out of the running.
With Vaishali set to play White against Lagno and Assaubayeva Black against Divya in Round 14, both leaders control their fate: a win guarantees at least a playoff, while a draw would leave the door open only to Zhu to catch them. The penultimate round produced three decisive games and set up a dramatic final day.
Fans can follow the final round live on Chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels and via the event’s online coverage pages. More detailed reports, game analysis and post-game interviews will be published after Round 14.
Original Source: https://www.chess.com/news/view/2026-fide-candidates-tournament-round-13
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Publish Date: 2026-04-14 23:58:00
