GM Javokhir Sindarov is in the final stretch, with three rounds left in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament. All games of round 11 ended in draws, leaving Sindarov two points ahead after holding GM Fabiano Caruana. GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu came close to scoring the only decisive game against GM Matthias Bluebaum, who achieved his 10th draw. GM Anish Giri didn’t make the most of an isolated-pawn position against GM Andrey Esipenko and GM Hikaru Nakamura made the quickest draw against GM Wei Yi.
GM Vaishali Rameshbabu trapped GM Aleksandra Goryachkina’s rook in the center of the board to score her fourth 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates win in six games. The lowest seed’s lead grew to a full point, after second-placed GMs Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk were held to draws by GMs Kateryna Lagno and Divya Deshmukh respectively. GM Tan Zhongyi had a great chance to score her first win, against GM Bibisara Assaubayeva, but rushed at the key moment.
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Round 12 is on Sunday, April 12, starting at 8:45 a.m. ET / 14:45 CEST / 6:15 p.m. IST.
FIDE Candidates: Bulletproof Sindarov Is In Final Stretch
Nobody was able to win a game in round 11, which suits Sindarov just fine.
Candidates Round 11 Results
The Uzbek star continues to lead by two points, and time is running out.
Candidates Standings After Round 11
GM Dejan Bojkov’s Game of the Day analysis will be added below.
In the three remaining games, Sindarov will have the white pieces twice. The big question in round 12 will be how hard Nakamura pushes with the black pieces, knowing he can no longer mathematically win the event.
FIDE Candidates: Round 12 Pairings
FIDE Women’s Candidates: Vaishali Scores Crucial Win
Vaishali scored the only win of round 11 of the Women’s Candidates.
Women’s Candidates Round 11 Results
That means she’s taken a potentially huge one point lead with only three rounds to go.
Women’s Candidates Standings After Round 11
Round 12 may prove critical, as Vaishali has the white pieces against one of her two closest rivals. A loss for the Indian GM could mean chaos for the standings, while a win would be a huge step toward overall victory.
FIDE Women’s Candidates: Round 12 Pairings
Colin McGourty contributed to this report.
You can watch the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament on Chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels. The games can also be followed from our Events Page.
The FIDE Candidates Tournament is the most important FIDE tournament of the year. In the Open and Women’s events, eight players play each other twice for the right to challenge the FIDE World Champions Gukesh Dommaraju and Ju Wenjun to a match for the title.
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