GM Javokhir Sindarov is guaranteed at least a playoff to win the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament after a 35-minute draw vs. GM Hikaru Nakamura put him two points clear with two rounds to go. GM Anish Giri came agonizingly close to moving within 1.5 points before his upcoming clash with Sindarov in round 13, but let GM Wei Yi escape in 77 moves. All games were drawn, with GM Andrey Esipenko vs. GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu a well-played game from a wild opening, and GM Matthias Bluebaum unable to get revenge on the one person to beat him in Cyprus—GM Fabiano Caruana.
A thunderous round 12 of the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates ended with three decisive results. GM Zhu Jiner beat GM Vaishali Rameshbabu to catch her in the lead on seven points, GM Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated GM Kateryna Lagno to slip a half-point behind, and GM Tan Zhongyi scored her first win of the event against GM Divya Deshmukh. The only draw was Anna Muzychuk vs. GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, where the former let slip a winning position by allowing a stalemate trick in the rook endgame.
This is a flash report—come back later for full coverage of round 12!
Round 13 is on Tuesday, April 14, starting at 8:45 a.m. ET / 14:45 CEST / 6:15 p.m. IST.
FIDE Candidates: Sindarov A Draw From Glory
There was only one quick draw, but for a second day in a row all games were ultimately drawn in the Open FIDE Candidates.
Candidates Round 12 Results
That’s great news for Sindarov, who needs at most a single draw in the remaining two rounds to become the next world championship challenger for GM Gukesh Dommaraju.
Candidates Standings After Round 12
Our Game of the Day is Giri’s near-miss against Wei, which GM Dejan Bojkov will analyze below.
All eyes in Tuesday’s round 13 will be on Giri vs. Sindarov. Giri must win to stop Sindarov clinching the tournament with a round to spare.
Candidates Round 13 Pairings
FIDE Women’s Candidates: Zhu Catches Vaishali, Muzychuk Lets Win Slip
We were very close to all four games being decisive in the Women’s tournament.
Women’s Candidates Round 12 Results
Zhu caught Vaishali with a win, but could easily have been joined by Muzychuk as well. Only two points separate first and last place.
Women’s Candidates Standings After Round 12
It’s fair to say all four games will be huge in the penultimate round.
FIDE Women’s Candidates: Round 13 Pairings
NM Anthony Levin 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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