FIDE Candidates 2026, Round 3: Sindarov beats Praggnanandhaa to move join-lead with Caruana, Vaishali picks up another draw

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa succumbed under time pressure and resigned against Javokhir Sindarov in Round Three of the FIDE Candidates in Cyprus on Tuesday, as Sindarov moved into joint lead on 2.5 points alongside Fabiano Caruana.

Caruana also registered a win, defeating Wei Yi to make it two victories from three rounds. He will next face Sindarov.

In the women’s section, which had seen only draws until Round Two, Bibisara Assaubayeva recorded the first decisive result, beating Zhu Jiner.

Lagno Kateryna was the second from women’s section to pick a full point, after she beat China’s Tan Zhongyi.

ALSO READ: Highlights from Round 3

Praggnanandhaa spent much of the middlegame probing for a breakthrough from a solid position. Despite enjoying a slight spatial edge, he was unable to create concrete chances against Sindarov’s resilient defence. The decisive moment came with 35.Qf7, after which Sindarov responded with a precise tactical sequence, leaving Praggnanandhaa’s king exposed and picking off material.

R Vaishali’s game against Anna Muzychuk featured early tension, with Vaishali attempting to press through queen activity. However, Muzychuk kept her king secure, and with no clear entry points for either side, the players settled for a draw.

Divya Deshmukh, meanwhile, survived a scare after a late blunder by Aleksandra Goryachkina allowed her to recover and secure her third draw of the tournament.

Elsewhere, Hikaru Nakamura and Anish Giri played out one of the shortest games of the round, agreeing to a draw in 19 moves. Matthias Bluebaum also shared the point with Andrey Esipenko.

Published on Mar 31, 2026