The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 witnessed another commanding performance from Uzbekistan’s rising star Javokhir Sindarov, who extended his lead after a decisive Round 6 victory in Cyprus.
Sindarov emerged as the only winner of the round, defeating China’s Wei Yi to further cement his position at the top of the standings. With this result, the 21-year-old surged ahead by a significant margin, underlining his dominance in the tournament and strengthening his bid to become the next challenger for the World Chess Championship.
Meanwhile, India’s R. Praggnanandhaa was held to a draw by American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. Despite attempts to create complexity on the board, the game ended in a stalemate, leaving the Indian prodigy trailing the leader and under increasing pressure to deliver wins in the upcoming rounds.
Other matches in Round 6 also ended in draws, including Fabiano Caruana vs Andrey Esipenko and Anish Giri vs Matthias Bluebaum, reflecting the cautious yet high-stakes nature of the competition.
In the Women’s Candidates, Indian players Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh registered crucial victories, keeping themselves in contention in a tightly packed leaderboard.
As the tournament progresses, Sindarov’s consistency has made him the standout performer. However, with several rounds still to go, the battle for the coveted challenger spot remains wide open.
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