The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 began with a decisive opening round, as Fabiano Caruana, R Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov secured important early wins to take the lead.
In a tournament where every point carries significant weight, the first round already created separation in the standings, with only one draw in the Open section.
Fabiano Caruana breaks the curse
Fabiano Caruana finally got the better of Hikaru Nakamura, and not in a subtle way. It took six hours.
This rivalry has been one-sided in recent times, with Nakamura holding the edge. But in a tournament where every single game can define your title chances, Caruana held his nerve and took the chance.
The game was not slow, clean or perfect. But it was exactly what the FIDE Candidates Tournament chess looks like: long, exhausting, and decided by one mistake.
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Now, for Fabiano Caruana, this is not just one point, its a mental shift.
R Praggnanandhaa Outplays
Although Fabiano Caruana was looking to fight it out to the end of his game, R Praggnanandhaa decided on a different approach – one that was aggressive, assertive, and systematic.
He started out against Anish Giri in a very aggressive manner and maintained that level of aggression throughout the game.
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The injection of surprise at the opening served its purpose; from there, he played with poise and was able to simplify his moves to the point where he was able to convert when opportunity arose without mishap.
The combination of those factors becomes significantly important in this type of tournament, where the quality of victory is as important as the quantity of victory.
Javokhir Sindarov turns a losing position into gold
Javokhir Sindarov, the youngest player in the Candidates Tournament, looked completely on the ropes against Andrey Esipenko. Down on time, under pressure, and expecting defeat himself.
Javokhir Sindarov has himself said, “I was thinking this round I will lose.” But the FIDE Candidates tournament doesn’t forgive hesitation, and Andrey Esipenko blinked first.
One misjudgment, a few tactical tricks, and suddenly the game flipped. What should have been a loss turned into a full point.
“Today I don’t play very well, but after he gives me chances, I think I played really very well. Somehow I woke up today in the game, because before I thought I was just sleeping and playing very badly!” said Sindarov.
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That win also pushed Sindarov into the live top 10.
The only draw in the Open section came between Matthias Bluebaum and Wei Yi, but even that was not quiet.
There were chances, risks, and even a rook sacrifice idea to force balance.
So, the FIDE Candidates Tournament’s Round One results have already split the field with the three leaders who left no room to ease into the event.
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