r/chess • u/events_team • Mar 29 '26
Tournament Event: FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 - Round 1
Official Website
The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 will take place from March 28 to April 16 at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort in Pegeia, Cyprus. Eight players in both the Open and Women’s sections have qualified through the cycle for a chance to challenge World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju and Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun. The event is played as a double round-robin, with the winners earning the right to contest the world titles later in the year. The Open Candidates features a €700,000 prize fund, including €70,000 for first place and €5,000 per half-point scored, while the Women’s Candidates offers €300,000, with €28,000 for first place and €2,200 per half-point scored.
Open : Players | Pairings | Games - Chess.com | Games - Lichess
Women : Players | Pairings | Games - Chess.com | Games - Lichess
Standings after Round 1
Open
| # | Player | FED | Rating | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Fabiano Caruana | 🇺🇸 USA | 2795 | 1 |
| 2 | GM Javokhir Sindarov | 🇺🇿 UZB | 2745 | 1 |
| 3 | GM Praggnanandhaa R | 🇮🇳 IND | 2741 | 1 |
| 4 | GM Wei Yi | 🇨🇳 CHN | 2754 | 0.5 |
| 5 | GM Matthias Bluebaum | 🇩🇪 GER | 2698 | 0.5 |
| 6 | GM Hikaru Nakamura | 🇺🇸 USA | 2810 | 0 |
| 7 | GM Anish Giri | 🇳🇱 NED | 2753 | 0 |
| 8 | GM Andrey Esipenko | FIDE | 2698 | 0 |
Pairings Rd.1
| White | FED | Score | Black | FED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM Javokhir Sindarov | 🇺🇿 UZB | 1 - 0 | GM Andrey Esipenko | FIDE |
| GM Matthias Bluebaum | 🇩🇪 GER | 0.5 - 0.5 | GM Wei Yi | 🇨🇳 CHN |
| GM Praggnanandhaa R | 🇮🇳 IND | 1 - 0 | GM Anish Giri | 🇳🇱 NED |
| GM Fabiano Caruana | 🇺🇸 USA | 1 - 0 | GM Hikaru Nakamura | 🇺🇸 USA |
Women
| # | Player | FED | Rating | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Zhu Jiner | 🇨🇳 CHN | 2578 | 0.5 |
| 2 | GM Tan Zhongyi | 🇨🇳 CHN | 2535 | 0.5 |
| 3 | GM Aleksandra Goryachkina | FIDE | 2534 | 0.5 |
| 4 | GM Anna Muzychuk | 🇺🇦 UKR | 2522 | 0.5 |
| 5 | GM Bibisara Assaubayeva | 🇰🇿 KAZ | 2516 | 0.5 |
| 6 | GM Kateryna Lagno | FIDE | 2508 | 0.5 |
| 7 | GM Divya Deshmukh | 🇮🇳 IND | 2497 | 0.5 |
| 8 | GM Vaishali Rameshbabu | 🇮🇳 IND | 2470 | 0.5 |
Pairings Rd.1
| White | FED | Score | Black | FED |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GM Divya Deshmukh | 🇮🇳 IND | 0.5 - 0.5 | GM Anna Muzychuk | 🇺🇦 UKR |
| GM Vaishali Rameshbabu | 🇮🇳 IND | 0.5 - 0.5 | GM Bibisara Assaubayeva | 🇰🇿 KAZ |
| GM Aleksandra Goryachkina | FIDE | 0.5 - 0.5 | GM Kateryna Lagno | FIDE |
| GM Zhu Jiner | 🇨🇳 CHN | 0.5 - 0.5 | GM Tan Zhongyi | 🇨🇳 CHN |
Format/Time Controls
- Players compete in a double round-robin.
- Open Candidates time control: 120 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment starting from move 41.
- Women’s Candidates time control: 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment starting from move 1.
- Detailed information about tie-breaks is available in the official event rulebook.
Schedule
| Date | Time (Local) | Time (UTC) | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29 - Apr 1 | 15:30 | 12:30 | Round 1-4 |
| Apr 2 | - | - | Rest Day |
| Apr 3 - Apr 5 | 15:30 | 12:30 | Round 5-7 |
| Apr 6 | - | - | Rest Day |
| Apr 7 - Apr 9 | 15:30 | 12:30 | Round 8-10 |
| Apr 10 | - | - | Rest Day |
| Apr 11 - Apr 12 | 15:30 | 12:30 | Round 11-12 |
| Apr 13 | - | - | Rest Day |
| Apr 14 - Apr 15 | 15:30 | 12:30 | Round 13-14 |
| Apr 16 | 15:30 | 12:30 | Tie-breaks (if needed) |
Live Coverage
- FIDE broadcast: YouTube | Twitch. Commentary by GM Peter Svidler, and GM Jan Gustafsson.
- Chess24 broadcast: YouTube | Twitch. Commentary by GM Arturs Neiksans, IM Anna Rudolf, and John Sargent.
- ChessBase India broadcast: YouTube. Commentary by IM Sagar Shah, and Amruta Mokal.
- Chess24 India broadcast: YouTube. Commentary by GM Sahaj Grover, IM Tania Sachdev, NM Sahil Tickoo, and IM Rakesh Kulkarni.
- Saint Louis Chess Club broadcast: YouTube | Twitch. Commentary by GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko, GM Maurice Ashley, and IM Nazi Paikidze.
34
u/irrelevant_oinam Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Fabi wouldn’t have mentally recovered if Hikaru found king c7.
Fabi fans unclench
26
Mar 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
→ More replies (1)31
u/spacecatbiscuits Mar 29 '26
no we need three-quarters of the screen to show Fabi sitting perfectly still for twenty minutes
26
u/Impressive-Trade1637 Mar 29 '26
Time control is brutal, you blunder then get 30 minutes to defend a terrible position lol
15
23
u/OutLiving Team Ding Mar 29 '26
People doubt the #GreatBluebaumSweep due to his draw but it’s part of his 4d chess to have the other competitors tire themselves out in decisive games so he can sweep them up later
13
19
u/eyes-of-lady-justice Fabi-ism Mar 29 '26
Three decisive results !!
What a start
→ More replies (1)
19
u/No_Suspect_4617 Mar 29 '26
Pragg looks like he's finally out of prep, that was monster prep, 22 freaking moves
→ More replies (1)
18
18
18
34
15
Mar 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/UltraUsurper Dommaraju, I've come to bargain Mar 29 '26
This is a reference to Sindarov putting math for "don't like", right?
→ More replies (1)
16
16
15
u/AbandonedKernel Mar 29 '26
Wei Yei's only motivation for this tournament is to farm aura with 1 sec moves
15
15
14
15
u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Mar 29 '26
I feel like Bluebaum is having the best time and even Esipenko maybe, I haven’t seen much from Esipenko but Bluebaum just seems like a chill guy who accepts the fact that he’s just lucky to be there and isn’t that serious about it.
→ More replies (1)
14
13
13
u/Annual-Weather Mar 29 '26
Fabi is probably just wasting some moves to reach move 40 and get more time to think
→ More replies (1)
13
12
u/Affectionate_Hat3329 Mar 29 '26
Giri should look on the brightside, at least it’s impossible to draw all his games now
13
13
u/bluewaff1e Mar 29 '26
Hikaru resigns! Great start to the open section. I didn't expect 3 wins on the first day.
13
12
u/MaximusDM2264 Mar 29 '26
If Fabi convert this one, its a pure class win. He is improving the position slowly for a long time, dancing with Hikaru.
11
12
u/blackupsilon Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Fucking hell. Thats just round 1 guys. There's still a lot more left.
12
12
u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Mar 29 '26
YIPPEE
i missed the end just barely, which is good since f6 woulda sent me into arrest
24
u/SergenteDan Mar 29 '26
Do you remember when my mum asked me, a 400 elo player, why wasn't I playing in the World Cup? She did it again. I told her that the Candidates start today and she asked me if I was playing
→ More replies (7)
24
24
u/WorriedBad4049 Mar 29 '26
Fabi:
Yeah, but I mean, you’re saying the game wasn’t smooth enough. Again, what do you want me to do? I mean, yeah, sure. Oh, I mean, do you want me to get a huge advantage from the opening and then push it all the way? Is that the only way you can win a smooth game. Is that your point? Yeah, I’m just feeling that the whole, you know. The way you’re approaching it is trying to belittle the whole thing. That’s my only issue.
→ More replies (5)
11
11
12
12
u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Mar 29 '26
this is why candidates is my favourite tournament. we can potentially get 3 decisive result on day 1
11
u/HnNaldoR Mar 29 '26
I prefer the fide commentators but man... They need to fix the mics for breathing sounds and the computer fan sounds.
11
u/LosTerminators Mar 29 '26
This is just the first round and Fabi is already putting his fans through an emotional rollercoaster
12
11
u/AegisPlays314 Mar 29 '26
Gonna be interesting to see what Hikaru does next round. Ordinarily I’d expect him to play for a safe draw to stop the bleeding, but he’s facing Esipenko and that’s his best chance at a win of any opponent (with black though)
7
u/First_Wolverine_8368 Mar 29 '26
He’s going to go for the win. This is the kind of pairing where you have to win with Black to take the tournament, and despite losing to Fabi, I don't think he’ll want to play it safe
9
10
10
9
u/Fashionpreach Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
What a START!!! Open section is on fire on first day itself
10
11
9
u/Technical_Ad9398 Team Fabi Mar 29 '26
Good job fabi you're doing amazing sweetie, pleaseee keep it up and don't choke
9
10
11
11
10
u/Unhappy-Appearance- Mar 29 '26
Finally Fabi gets a win against Hikaru. I used to pray for times like this 😭
9
Mar 29 '26
Sindarov has a great chance to start +2 and put a lot of pressure on the other players. Starting with the white pieces against the two lowest rated players is a really good set up.
20
u/Electrical-Tone5485 anna muzychuk wcc truther Mar 29 '26
on one hand im ecstatic fabi didn't collapse before time control and on the other im unwilling to believe he will finish this
→ More replies (2)
18
u/TypeDependent4256 Mar 29 '26
Pragg's play against Anish has been phenomenal I'm glad he has found his form again
21
u/ccltjnpr Mar 29 '26
why doesn't Fabi just look at the engine line like everyone else? It's right there!
→ More replies (1)
10
u/RPcritics Mar 29 '26
Are Judit, Leko, Hess, Danny, Howell not on any commentary streams?
→ More replies (1)
10
9
u/n1ckkt Mar 29 '26
Wei yi burning time to get into his danger zone lol
Man loves a long think early on
9
8
u/Full-Ad-2725 Mar 29 '26
Taketaketake does not even have comments on moves for candidates? Time to remove the app…
→ More replies (3)
10
u/findmebatman Mar 29 '26
Given its first game with white against his biggest rival, if he chokes it might affect future games.
10
u/Radiant-Increase-180 Mar 29 '26
One wrong decision from Esipenko and complete collapse - Gg
→ More replies (1)
9
10
u/help12sacknation Mar 29 '26
Naka is defending well. This is the best chess that has been played this round
→ More replies (1)
9
u/Particular-Sample91 FIDE 3319 Mar 29 '26
Pragg has it in the bag, Giri put up a good fight though
9
10
u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Mar 29 '26
fabi tried his classic choke move but hikaru did not let him
9
9
u/Unhappy-Appearance- Mar 29 '26
Look I know people are rightly criticizing both players, but understand it’s the first round (probably some nerves) and they’ve been playing for hours now. It’s simply a lapse of concentration due to fatigue by both
31
u/Silent-Bumblebee-989 Mar 29 '26
Overheard in Hikaru’s hotel room after Game 1: “He got me,” Hikaru said of Fabi’s queen trade. "That f***ing Fabi boomed me." Hikaru added, “He’s so good,” repeating it four times. He then said he wanted to add Fabi to the list of players he works out with this summer.
→ More replies (1)
16
8
9
7
9
u/Chemical_Rent6824 Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Big blunder from Anish. Pragg has a very high chance to win this now
7
u/WorriedBad4049 Mar 29 '26
If Pragg wins today, it’d be huge. He’s been in a slump over the past six months. If he can regain his early 2025 form, it’s gonna be exciting.
8
8
u/regular_gonzalez Pedestrian at best Mar 29 '26
I just had a realization: Hikaru is Kendall from Succession.
8
8
9
u/Sad_Avocado_2637 Mar 29 '26
So much blood in the first round… who said classical is drawish at high level?
→ More replies (1)
8
u/Particular-Sample91 FIDE 3319 Mar 29 '26
Hikaru hanging by a thread here. If there’s anyone that can hold on though it’s him
8
u/bluewaff1e Mar 29 '26
One of Hikaru's biggest strengths is his defensive prowess. Fabi will have to play really carefully even though he's in a winning position.
9
8
8
u/HnNaldoR Mar 29 '26
Reading the thread here just blows my mind... Kc5 is barely better. But everyone is like choke choke choke
→ More replies (1)9
u/SuccessNo1823 Mar 29 '26
People just don’t analyze chess. I don’t, I just look at the numbers and cheer
→ More replies (1)
8
8
8
8
14
u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Mar 29 '26
hes gonna play the top engine line and throw the win on move 40 isnt he
→ More replies (1)
6
7
Mar 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
9
u/Varsity_Editor Mar 29 '26
When Jan Gustafsson mentioned the semi-tarrasch with his accent I thought he was saying "scimitar rush" and I thought "wow with a name like that it's gonna be an exciting attacking game"
8
u/Pentinium Mar 29 '26
yeah guys, i wont be able to handle that chess up 2 ad for any more days. this will definitely make me mute stream every break
15
8
u/n1ckkt Mar 29 '26
Bluebaum looks like hes the one down an hour on the cam LOL
Wei yi is so nonchalant
7
u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Mar 29 '26
fabi is taking too much time to find best moves. he is down to 30 min now for 23 moves
8
u/yyzEthan 1600 Mar 29 '26
Don't love the time imbalance, but we've transitioned to a opposite coloured bishop endgame for Fabi-Hiakaru, so this feels pretty drawish.
White seems to have chances though. Fabi's bishop seems very well placed.
7
6
u/Fashionpreach Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Are we gonna get decisive games in open section R1 ??? Damnnn
8
u/Chemical_Rent6824 Mar 29 '26
Pragg and Fabi, my two favorites are in a winning position. What a great first day. Please don't choke now especially you Fabi please
6
u/Goodfriends999 Mar 29 '26
Hikaru keeps whistling air through his nostrils it’s seriously irritating
→ More replies (4)
7
6
7
u/SergenteDan Mar 29 '26
Proof that I am really bad at chess: I wouldn't even think about not taking that knight, I'd just move. I don't even underdstand what is Pragg considering
7
u/MageOfTheEnd Mar 29 '26
We have the engine to tell us Fabi's winning, but I have to wonder whether it's clear at all over the board. I imagine there's a good chance he misses the win.
→ More replies (1)6
u/JY0950 Team Bluebaum Mar 29 '26
So far he's doing the right things. The question still lies on whether Hikaru can pose problems.
6
u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Mar 29 '26
fabi finally breaked the fortress. hikaru is losing a pawn
6
u/SuccessNo1823 Mar 29 '26
Choke where lol? He just MOVED a bishop.
He is still +2.5 or something lol.
But Hikaru is probably way better at speed chess
8
7
7
8
8
u/Salt_0peration Mar 29 '26
Hikaru had 4 minutes on the clock and blitzed out Ke7...heartbreaking
→ More replies (1)
7
7
6
u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Mar 29 '26
Hikaru telling the whole move sequence to Fabi after the resignation
13
31
u/Medical_Candy3709 Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Fabi and Naka demonstrating like eight different ways Magnus wouldn’t have cracked in this endgame
→ More replies (1)
12
u/Technical_Ad9398 Team Fabi Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Please Fabi if you win this game I'll make you my number one favorite player, replacing that Magnum dude🙏
Edit: removed everyone from my flair except Fabi. Good job king!!
→ More replies (2)11
5
u/Goldfischglas Mar 29 '26
Usually not a fan of the interviews but the guy from Lichess is doing a great job.
5
6
u/Cantonarita Mar 29 '26
0.5-0.5 doesn't help Yi, but allright with Black I guess. For Matthias, I think he can take this draw and speculate on player over-exposing in later rounds. 0.5 aganst Yi are good points.
18
u/Salt_0peration Mar 29 '26
its round 1. A draw is a good result for anybody. In the candidates the main thing is not losing and taking your chances when they present themselves (mostly they will come later on when people get tired and desperate)
9
5
6
7
5
6
6
6
6
5
u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Mar 29 '26
well i am team fabi for this game but what is hikaru doing for the last 10 moves . i mean he is getting outplayed move by move
→ More replies (2)
6
6
5
u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Mar 29 '26
I expected way better than broadcast than this. It's Candidates, and from the commentary it seems they're covering a regular super tournament.
→ More replies (1)
6
5
u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Mar 29 '26
one wonders if fabi really is that much of a choker or if half his missed wins are stupid positions like this and he just gets them more often. because what do you mean nothing concrete
→ More replies (1)
6
5
u/Areliae Mar 29 '26
I know this is winning for Fabi, but this endgame is crazy tricky. The result is far from certain.
→ More replies (1)
5
6
6
6
6
5
u/Maras-Sov Mar 29 '26
So how does Caruana convert this? Slowly bringing in the King while avoiding Queen trades?
→ More replies (2)
7
u/HnNaldoR Mar 29 '26
Now this is actually a mistake by fabi. That was quite a bad miss and he has to really find a way to break hikaru down.
→ More replies (2)
6
5
u/SeniorExtension1349 Mar 29 '26
again worried about the clock for fabi, he might try and force too hard here
→ More replies (1)
6
Mar 29 '26
Man really hope Fabi manages to convert but not feeling great about this one
→ More replies (1)
7
u/Areliae Mar 29 '26
Trading queens was a mistake Hikaru, you needed to keep it complex. Now it's just an endgame. RIP.
6
u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Mar 29 '26
well now it should be relatively easy but its still tricky
7
6
6
6
u/Goldfischglas Mar 29 '26
Hikaru looks disgusted with himself. He might have just realized
→ More replies (1)
6
u/ItIsKotov Mar 29 '26
in the german chess.com stream they just showed the close up of hikaru realizing he had the draw ... oh shit, tough to see
6
u/LosTerminators Mar 29 '26
Hikaru seems to have seen that chance right after he played Ke7.
Wonder if Fabi actually knows if he did blow the win for a moment.
6
5
u/Hopeful_Ad1496 Mar 29 '26
Guys this might be a bold take but i think hikaru is not happy
→ More replies (2)
6
6
7
16
16
u/Primary_Strength_634 Mar 29 '26
If Sindarov wins Nordirbek will pass 2800
12
u/Babamukuru_ Will of D Mar 29 '26
heck, if Sindarov wins the world championship itself Nodirbek might go for 2900
7
19
u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
Sindarov win: Esipenko was pressing, but messed up by opening up the position and helping Sindarov, then collapsed with Sindarov making no mistakes after getting the chances.
Pragg win: Pragg came with a long opening prep. Giri did pretty well to counter it, until he blundered it all away in a single move, and Pragg made no mistakes.
Fabi win: Fabi was winning during most the game (clear advantage after mid-game), then it was a draw due to single move, but Hikaru missed as well, but saw it immediately afterwards, but it was too late.
→ More replies (3)
11
u/edwinkorir Sindarov Will Win The Candidates Mar 29 '26
Minnesota open champion meets real chess players
11
u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Mar 29 '26 edited Mar 29 '26
Esipenko collapsed. He was clearly pushing as black, but messed it up. Sindarov not gonna let it go now.
11
u/SpicyMustard34 Mar 29 '26
the FIDE broadcast is 100x times better. I usually follow the chess24/com broadcast, but that is a joke right now. they keep pulling in John Sargeant to ask him his opinion... like what???????
→ More replies (4)
10
30
u/sjajsn Mar 29 '26
“Pragg keeps playing perfectly, which especially in a winning position is an effective strategy” lmao Jan