FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026, Round 8: Sindarov drops points, held to draw by Esipenko

Javokhir Sindarov could not complete a double over Andrey Esipenko as their second-half encounter at the ongoing FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 in Cyprus ended in a draw on Tuesday.

Sindarov had secured his first win of the tournament against the Russian earlier, but this time the game began at a brisk pace and remained balanced between moves 11 and 18, with both players simplifying the centre and activating their pieces efficiently.

The critical moment came on move 17, when Sindarov played Na5, targeting the c6 bishop and attempting to apply pressure. However, the sequence that followed led to further simplification, and by move 19 both kings were relatively safe, with no clear pawn breaks or attacking chances for either side.

More to follow…

Published on Apr 07, 2026