FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Section: Sindarov survives Caruana test to edge closer to Candidates crown

Javokhir Sindarov was held to a draw by Fabiano Caruana, but Anish Giri’s draw against Andrey Esipenko means the Uzbekistan Grandmaster heads into Sunday’s Round 12 with a solid two-point lead.

Sindarov leads the Open section with 8.5 points with three rounds remaining, with Giri in second on 6.5 points, while India’s R. Praggnanandhaa is seventh with 4.5 points.

Fabiano Caruana pressed for long stretches, especially in the middlegame and early endgame, but it was a massive defensive effort from Sindarov to secure the draw.

Caruana activated his rooks aggressively around moves 28–33 (Ra6, Ra7+, g4, gxh5+), opening up the kingside to expose Sindarov’s king. Sindarov responded with timely bishop play to bring his pieces into coordination, covering key squares to keep Caruana at bay.

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Around moves 49–53, Sindarov simplified at the right moment with rook exchanges and pawn pushes such as e4 and f5. Caruana maintained pressure but could not find a clear breakthrough, and once the rooks were exchanged, the game settled into a draw.

Praggnanandhaa, playing with the White pieces, was unable to break down Matthias Bluebaum’s solid defensive setup. Unlike some of his sharper earlier games, he adopted a more safe approach in this round. Both players maintained a balanced position through the middlegame with no major errors.

The game simplified into an endgame where neither side could find a winning advantage, eventually leading to a threefold repetition on move 42.

The result means Bluebaum has recorded 10 draws in 11 rounds.

Elsewhere, Hikaru Nakamura and Wei Yi agreed to a draw after just 22 moves.

Published on Apr 11, 2026