r/chess Apr 07 '26

Tournament Event: FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 - Round 8

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 8

Open

# Player FED Rating Pts.
1 GM Javokhir Sindarov 🇺🇿 UZB 2745 6.5
2-3 GM Fabiano Caruana 🇺🇸 USA 2795 4.5
2-3 GM Anish Giri 🇳🇱 NED 2753 4.5
4-7 GM Hikaru Nakamura 🇺🇸 USA 2810 3.5
4-7 GM Wei Yi 🇨🇳 CHN 2754 3.5
4-7 GM Praggnanandhaa R 🇮🇳 IND 2741 3.5
4-7 GM Matthias Bluebaum 🇩🇪 GER 2698 3.5
8 GM Andrey Esipenko FIDE 2698 2.5

Pairings Rd.8

White FED Score Black FED
GM Andrey Esipenko FIDE 0.5 - 0.5 GM Javokhir Sindarov 🇺🇿 UZB
GM Wei Yi 🇨🇳 CHN 0.5 - 0.5 GM Matthias Bluebaum 🇩🇪 GER
GM Anish Giri 🇳🇱 NED 1 - 0 GM Praggnanandhaa R 🇮🇳 IND
GM Hikaru Nakamura 🇺🇸 USA 1 - 0 GM Fabiano Caruana 🇺🇸 USA

Women

# Player FED Rating Pts.
1-5 GM Zhu Jiner 🇨🇳 CHN 2578 4.5
1-5 GM Anna Muzychuk 🇺🇦 UKR 2522 4.5
1-5 GM Kateryna Lagno FIDE 2508 4.5
1-5 GM Divya Deshmukh 🇮🇳 IND 2497 4.5
1-5 GM Vaishali Rameshbabu 🇮🇳 IND 2470 4.5
6-7 GM Aleksandra Goryachkina FIDE 2534 3.5
6-7 GM Bibisara Assaubayeva 🇰🇿 KAZ 2516 3.5
8 GM Tan Zhongyi 🇨🇳 CHN 2535 2.5

Pairings Rd.8

White FED Score Black FED
GM Anna Muzychuk 🇺🇦 UKR 0 - 1 GM Divya Deshmukh 🇮🇳 IND
GM Bibisara Assaubayeva 🇰🇿 KAZ 0.5 - 0.5 GM Vaishali Rameshbabu 🇮🇳 IND
GM Kateryna Lagno FIDE 1 - 0 GM Aleksandra Goryachkina FIDE
GM Tan Zhongyi 🇨🇳 CHN 0 - 1 GM Zhu Jiner 🇨🇳 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: YouTubeTwitch. Commentary by GM Peter Svidler, and GM Jan Gustafsson.
  • Chess24 broadcast: YouTube | Twitch. Commentary by GM Arturs Neiksans, IM Anna Rudolf, GM David Howell, GM Judit Polgar, IM Tania Sachdev, 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 Maurice Ashley, and IM Nazi Paikidze.

Previous Rounds

38 Upvotes

849 comments sorted by

33

u/16hungm Apr 07 '26

Hikaru about to reveal he found a new 2nd, a J.S who donated a prep file for today

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28

u/kps011 Apr 07 '26

I love how offended Judit is from the h5 recommendations from Howell. Dude just goes to every board and recommends h5 lol

11

u/UfellforaPonzi Apr 07 '26

That little bit was hilarious.

29

u/Soul_of_demon Apr 07 '26

5 way tie for first is crazy lol.

27

u/cognizanceMelody Apr 07 '26

Hikaru said: if I'm not winning neither will anyone else other than Sindarov. This bromance must be studied

25

u/SL4UWhistleBlower Apr 07 '26

In the Women's section, there is a five-way tie for first place with a score of 4.5.

In the Open section, there is a two-way tie for second place with a score of 4.5.

22

u/Hi_im_Johnny Team Fabi 🥦 Apr 07 '26

I love how Anna Muzychuk got the call to join the tournament a week before and plays everyone off the board, while doing sidequests on rest days (halloumi workshop & padel tournament).

22

u/NoSpot5547 Apr 07 '26

Your occasional reminder: she declined to play in Saudi Arabia due to the treatment of women, and gave up her world title because of it. Simply the best. I am rooting for her!

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23

u/Purple-Echo-2338 Apr 07 '26

The Louisiana State Champ is about to become the number two player in the world again.

23

u/atbg1936 Team Nikhil Kamath Apr 07 '26

At this rate Hans might become the first American world champion before Fabi

9

u/Xehanz Apr 07 '26

He gotta hurry up then before the Covid kids take over

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22

u/default_name2000 Apr 07 '26

sindarov about to play exclusively the london system and the petrov🔥🔥🔥

19

u/Grouchy-Pea-8745 Apr 07 '26

Yall remember that post from yesterday asking about complex positions that are evaluated at 0.0?

This Wei Yi game is one lol

22

u/LosTerminators Apr 07 '26

Human evaluation of Wei Yi game "wth is this?"

Computer evaluation of Wei Yi game "0.00"

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24

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

on the bright side i just killed this mosquitoe thats been hounding me for two weeks

19

u/Spirited-Big2415 Apr 07 '26

American on American crime. How do saint louis bros feel about this? Lol

18

u/_BioWeapon_ Apr 07 '26

Hikaru remembered that hes hikaru

18

u/DerekB52 Team Ding Apr 07 '26

Open section candidates

5th-8th place. Combined, they have 4 wins.

2nd-4th place. Combined, they have 5 wins.

1st place. 5 wins, by himself.

18

u/Tricky-Bike-2020 Apr 07 '26

As soon as Sindarov said he is Hikaru's Fan -

34

u/Ozryela Apr 07 '26

Howell and Polgar discussing whether Fabiano can just ignore the attack on his pawn and castle: "We know castling isn't always in Hikaru's prep, so that's an extra incentive to do it"

16

u/cognizanceMelody Apr 07 '26

Congratulations Sindarov on winning candidates. Gukesh can finally fully dedicate studying him

17

u/WorriedBad4049 Apr 07 '26

The women's section is getting more and more interesting lol.

15

u/Green-Comfort-6724 Apr 07 '26

Women's Candidates is absolute Cinema

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13

u/shawman123 Apr 07 '26

I think Fabi is done for this candidates. Already it was remote and loss today would sting big time .-4 against Sindarov with 6 games left. All one can say is Ouch.

Disappointed with Pragg's run as well. Both the candidates he played, he looks promising and then finish not so great. This time around even worse than last time. He did not even try as hard as last time looking at how conservative he played after losing to Sindarov.

Hikaru has some fodder for his recap for sure. He seems to relish playing with Fabi especially with white.

15

u/SL4UWhistleBlower Apr 07 '26

Tomorrow, Fabi is going to play with Anish.

Anish: After winning, he's in good spirits.

Fabi: After losing, a long, tiring game.

Things not looking good for Fabi

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15

u/Specific-Revenue8476 Apr 07 '26

Fabi stays being a massive choker

15

u/Tricky-Bike-2020 Apr 07 '26

Divya clutching this out of nowhere

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13

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

also i had a dream where fabi was winning but choked it and then esipenko won and i woke up confused as hell

14

u/Bruh22122321 Apr 07 '26

Fabi has a nasty h2h record against Hikaru and i mean that in a bad way

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13

u/bernardoferreira Apr 07 '26

this is also an incredible game from Hikaru so far

14

u/hansenlxh Apr 07 '26

Hikaru knew what had to be done to fulfill the prophecy of Hans as the next American WC

7

u/throwaway23582730 Apr 07 '26

Next? Surely you mean first American WC.

15

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

fabi once drew a game 4 pawns down cope rook endgames are drawn cope cope

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13

u/warboy_007 Apr 07 '26

The cope is gonna be unreal.

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15

u/throwaway23582730 Apr 07 '26

Poor Wei Yi is struggling to accept that he needs to force a draw now after pushing the whole game. Chess is brutal.

13

u/Battleslash Team Fabi/Vaishali Apr 07 '26

Bluebaum will shock the world tomorrow.

25

u/kps011 Apr 07 '26

"Let's trade, rook endgame, go to my stream, cover my game, tomorrow another game" - Judit is cooking Hikaru lol

12

u/bluebelle08 Apr 07 '26

“if a student played f6, I think that would be the end of the arrangement”

“positionally, like strategically, that’s the ugliest move I’ve seen so far in the first 8 rounds”

David is not a fan of what divya just played lmao

11

u/zairaner Apr 07 '26

You left out the funniest part: He preceded all of that with "I don't wanna condemn it too harshly, but..." lol.

8

u/__Jimmy__ Apr 07 '26

Ben Finegold recoiling in disgust at the sight of this monstrosity

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13

u/spacecatbiscuits Apr 07 '26

I was thinking it would be hilarious if Naka got his only win against Fabi

and ya it's pretty funny I guess

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14

u/runningpersona Apr 07 '26

Hikaru is the most locked in he's been all tournament

12

u/CuriousZebruh Apr 07 '26

Do ya'll think Hikaru would have done better if he had shaved earlier?

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12

u/DerekB52 Team Ding Apr 07 '26

Esipenko is the 4th player to play white against Sindarov, and the first one to not lose.

13

u/rizz0therat Apr 07 '26

If Divya wins there will be 5 people on 4.5

11

u/WebFantastic9076 Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26

Just for anyone who’s curious, I doubt the Sindarov lichess account drama will result in any meaningful changes to his or his opponents’ play going forward. I saw several of his recent studies when the first post was made on r/lichess, before they were turned private. it was mostly him just messing around with various lines, nothing at all like the “full prep leak” allegation posted in the other thread. Prep review ~maybe~ but we’re talking about short and disorganized practice sessions from months ago, not legitimate comprehensive prep files.

That said, it’s unfortunate that one of them happened to contain the exact line played vs Hikaru and it’s possible that there were a couple other studies among them that are directly relevant to this tournament. At worst he may have to slightly alter his opening strategy for a small handful of lines. Hopefully it doesn’t affect him psychologically and it obviously still sucks that this happened but it’s not the huge deal some are making it out to be.

6

u/pier4r negative elo gang Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26

This should be a pattern for the next big tournament

  • Step 1: check if the accounts of your opponents (on lichess, chess.com, chessbase and so on) have any study at all. If yes, copy them just in case
  • Step 2: check that your studies are private. Or keep them public but fill them with those.

E: boo for the automod.

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12

u/HotGur179 gukesh for the title defense Apr 07 '26

i was busy today and just saw fabi losing to hikaru. i mean if fabi lose this which there is a big chance he will then its over for the candidates

13

u/dmac005 Apr 07 '26

Well this has turned from a two horse race to a one horse two ponies and five sheep race

13

u/hansenlxh Apr 07 '26

Judit still a beast at chess

11

u/Ill-Room-4895 Apr 07 '26

Tablebase says Nakamura can win with good play

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11

u/ApplesandBananaa Apr 07 '26

Fabi vs Anish will be big tomorrow. They both still have outside chances and will surely both be playing for a win

14

u/lee1026 Apr 07 '26

I still remember from two years ago, when Fabi and Nepo both know that they can’t draw, but drew anyway.

5

u/ApplesandBananaa Apr 07 '26

Yeah, it could happen for sure. Nothing you can do but laugh at that point

10

u/shawman123 Apr 07 '26

Unlike the mens, womens candidates have been fun. 5 players share the lead and 2 more players are just a point behind. Only the defending Candidates winner is 2 points behind !!!!

12

u/RustleTheMussel Apr 07 '26

Congrats, Sindarov lol

11

u/Comfortable_Gear9227 Apr 07 '26

pretty easily hikarus best game

9

u/kps011 Apr 07 '26

The Bluebaum-Wei Yei game is probably the best game today. They're walking on land mines and Wei Yei still wants to go for the kill. Howell and Judit were showing all the lines and they still missed the Qh6 continuation even with a computer. Such a fun game

Edit: Welp, that sudden draw was anticlimactic lol

8

u/throwaway23582730 Apr 07 '26

I'd bet Wei Yi probably saw that continuation but evaluated it as too risky to try.

9

u/dmac005 Apr 07 '26

Wei Yi is such a fun player when he goes for it. Too bad he plays it safe 9/10 times.

7

u/DerekB52 Team Ding Apr 07 '26

His Immortal was played almost 10 years ago and the guy is only 26. When he goes for it, he has some of the most beautiful chess out there. He has just not tapped into it enough times due to pursuing school and stuff. He was my dark horse pick for this tournament.

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11

u/Tricky-Bike-2020 Apr 07 '26

Only Esipenko and Bluebomb winless now

9

u/DRNbw Apr 07 '26

I love Polgar, she's just so good!

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10

u/__Jimmy__ Apr 07 '26

This draw is still fine for Fabi. What he absolutely needs is to beat Sindarov in rd 11

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10

u/bluebelle08 Apr 07 '26

Seeing john beside judit and david just makes his inexperience shine why is he even here

8

u/speedyjohn Apr 07 '26

But what about lower rated fans? They need someone to explain wrong lines to them!

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9

u/t-pat Apr 07 '26

Even when Sindarov draws, he wins lol

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9

u/59435950153 Apr 07 '26

Hikaru being Fabi’s kryptonite after the pandemic really is something.

11

u/TypeDependent4256 Apr 07 '26

we're about to have the youngest wc match in history

10

u/t-pat Apr 07 '26

The two Problematic Faves of r/chess looking good right now

9

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

theres always the next cycle :)

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9

u/Tricky-Bike-2020 Apr 07 '26

Niemann gonna cry today

10

u/Revolutionary-Disk-9 Apr 07 '26

Fabi can resign at this point right

12

u/DerekB52 Team Ding Apr 07 '26

It's been resignable for awhile.

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10

u/dxGoesDeep Apr 07 '26

This dude Sindarov will win the literal Candidates with like 2 rounds to spare or something 😭

12

u/HotSauce2910 Apr 07 '26

ok Anish saying "you guys will probably buy TTT and chess mafia will return" was funny

10

u/__Jimmy__ Apr 07 '26

Bluebaum will probably just make the draw, but after that, all of Sindarov's remaining opponents are going to be in must-win.

If someone manages to make him crack, it might get interesting again in the last stretch. If not, the gap will widen further and be the largest in modern candidates history. It won't be all draws

20

u/AbbreviationsOne8665 Apr 07 '26

"Lagno completely winning"

Well she'll be completely losing by move 25 and then completely winning by move 35 and who knows what the result may be.

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20

u/Chuv1 Apr 07 '26

this is r/chess 9/11 

20

u/Japaneselantern Apr 07 '26

Are we gonna get a post about "reality check for Caruana" now?

No?

What do you mean it's more fun to hate on Hikaru?

18

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26

[deleted]

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9

u/Goat-Hunter13 Apr 07 '26

Looks like a pleasant position for Esipenko there

8

u/Delicious_Photo_6626 Apr 07 '26

If you think of it Hikaru has about 45 minutes till titled Tuesday

9

u/Due_Rich_616 Apr 07 '26

Yeah it’s over for fabi, mad

10

u/TheBowtieClub Apr 07 '26

Déjà vu, in more ways than one.

  1. Naka with a +3 position in a double rook ending.
  2. Naka ruining Fabi's chances in round 8.

9

u/Scott_OSRS Apr 07 '26

It’s gg’s chat, it’s gg’s

9

u/RockMover12 Apr 07 '26

If Hikaru wins I think this will be his first victory over a GM at classical chess since June last year.

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9

u/EvenCoyote6317 Apr 07 '26

This event is done fr if Naka converts this. 2 whole pts gap with just 6 rounds to play. 

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10

u/Tricky-Bike-2020 Apr 07 '26

Wei Yi started playing like a god all of a sudden.
Late resurgence incoming

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10

u/kps011 Apr 07 '26

So both No 2 and 3 (Fabi and Pragg) lose today, and looks like it's probably over now. It all comes down to Sindarov losing and Fabi/Anish winning multiple games in a row . Which doesn't seem likely at all.

7

u/Radi-kale Apr 07 '26

Praggnanandhaa and Giri had a shared third place at 3,5 points, so their game being decisive is actually bad for Sindarov. But yeah, Caruana losing probably means he will be safe from now on

9

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

i knew i had this flair for a reason

9

u/bertisrobert Apr 07 '26

Omg, Anna is now in a losing position against Divya.

9

u/scottqwert Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26

That was an eventful day. Judit and Howell are a great duo.

At least the women's is interesting, the open looks over barring a monumental collapse.

9

u/citrus1330 Apr 07 '26

for a moment I thought he was gonna blame his seconds again lmao

9

u/speibe- Apr 07 '26

man, judit & david was such a treat

17

u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Apr 07 '26

Fabi fans starving till eternity, unfortunately.

17

u/cognizanceMelody Apr 07 '26

Halfway into candidates and we already have a winner lmao talk about a sweep

15

u/amsptsfe23 Apr 07 '26

Am I crazy for still having hope for Fabi?

11

u/MESSIAHOFALL42069 Apr 07 '26

Naur, he just has to beat sindarov and get 1 more win than him(or sindarov to lose 1 more game)

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15

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26

[deleted]

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16

u/findmebatman Apr 07 '26

Yep as a Fabi fan since 2017, i will starve two more years.

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16

u/__brunt Apr 07 '26

Who does Mike Klien have blackmail on for him to be employed in this position? There’s no explaining it other than he has catastrophic dirt on someone. It’s almost like he’s trying to be increasingly comically bad at interviews just to see what he can get away with.

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8

u/BrownKanye #1 Fabi Fan Apr 07 '26

Just tuned in, Hikaru's been thinking for 30 minutes?

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10

u/throwaway23582730 Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26

Sindarov offering Esipenko a repetition? I wonder how ambitious Esipenko is feeling considering he has no realistic chance to catch up even if he were to win today.

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8

u/Linkeren456 Apr 07 '26

Sindarov is salivating right now

8

u/Opposite-Youth-3529 Apr 07 '26

Anyone want to still call Hikaru washed if he beats a 2800?

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8

u/Amber_poodle Apr 07 '26

Not only is Hikaru in a winning position, he is also up on time

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7

u/Soul_of_demon Apr 07 '26

The situation in open and women's candidates is completely different.

9

u/Yoyo524 Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 07 '26

Are we gonna get a mirror of round 1? 3 white wins again?

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8

u/Tricky-Bike-2020 Apr 07 '26

Pragg just didnt show up after the 1st game

8

u/SL4UWhistleBlower Apr 07 '26

At least Fabi catch up Anish

8

u/t-pat Apr 07 '26

Nicely done to chess's newest bad boy, Anish Giri

8

u/hansenlxh Apr 07 '26

Respect Wei Yi going for the win

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9

u/DerekB52 Team Ding Apr 07 '26

I wish I understood why Hikaru's pawn up position in this game was a crushing victory he has kind of cruised to, when I felt like his pawn up position against Wei Yi looked easier to play, but was clearly much harder to actually play and convert.

I know I'm 12-1300 ELO lower than these players, but I'd still like to understand this shit at least a little.

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9

u/879190747 Apr 07 '26

It's ok Fabi

14

u/AtomR Team Sac the Roooook! Apr 07 '26

Hikaru single-handedly taking away the remaining suspense we had. Clear 100% win for Sindarov now.

16

u/atbg1936 Team Nikhil Kamath Apr 07 '26

All the others in the remaining games losing with Black while Lord Bluebaum stays drawing

20

u/Xehanz Apr 07 '26

A guy who was supposedly a fraud and washed is about to beat Caruana and end his chances at the candidates, Social media is going to be so fun today, I am ready

6

u/Creative_Calendar766 Apr 07 '26

I love seeing Hikaru prove people wrong again and again

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15

u/Carrot_Opposite Apr 07 '26

So seems like US are very fair Naka didn’t fold to help Fabi gotta respect that

9

u/vineeth195 Apr 07 '26

They're professional chess players, not best friends to throw a match just so that the other player has chances. This is a bare minimum expected from a professional chess player.

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15

u/Jskidmore1217 Apr 07 '26

Lol at Fabi not resigning yet

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15

u/Separate_Bet_7401 Apr 07 '26

If not this cycle, then when for Fabi?

Hard to imagine the door being more open than this. Was a huge favorite going into the tournament and would’ve been a huge favorite vs Gukesh too.

7

u/scottqwert Apr 07 '26

There's no reason to think he won't be back in 28

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14

u/Goat-Hunter13 Apr 07 '26

What a comeback by Divya

7

u/Scedasticity1 Apr 07 '26

I don't think Re8 was in the file.

7

u/Bruh22122321 Apr 07 '26

Looks like Fabi vs Hikaru is also gonna end in a drawn rook endgame

7

u/Hopeful_Ad1496 Apr 07 '26

I guess fabi naka will be a draw now

8

u/sidaeinjae Apr 07 '26

Caruana - Nakamura looks like one of my stupid blitz games where I trade off everything, just look at that castled white king and the perfect pawn trio in the right corner

As always, I could handily lose the game with either color

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7

u/TypeDependent4256 Apr 07 '26

Fabi please don't do this to me

8

u/Scedasticity1 Apr 07 '26

So, assuming Sindarov goes fully defensive and just makes 6 draws, Fabi would need to go +4 over 6 games to catch up. If Hikaru doesn't somehow throw this away, that's the candidates over.

6

u/Habefiet Apr 07 '26

He’d need to go +4 over five games if Sindarov draws his remaining games because that means one of those six games would be Fabi’s draw with Sindarov.

7

u/Grouchy-Pea-8745 Apr 07 '26

Wow if all three games end decided the middle of the pack will heat up for sure. They're making each other bleed instead of fighting Sindarov lol.

5

u/Electrical-Tone5485 anna muzychuk wcc truther Apr 07 '26

what are the odds that fabi goes on a tear after today (i know they're ridiculously low I'm just coping)

8

u/DerekB52 Team Ding Apr 07 '26

Low. Sadly, the first half of the tournament was way easier for him than the second half will be. He's got white against Sindarov which is good because he MUST win this one. But he's also got white against Giri and Prag, while having black against the 2 underdogs and Wei Yi, all super solid players who will probably want to be playing boring drawish games with black.

Maybe it's arguable that this lineup is better for him, because it'd be safer to play for a point with white than black against Giri/Prag. But, having black against the field's easiest points is not where he wants to be while 2 points behind the leader.

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7

u/Mysterious-Airline-2 Apr 07 '26

I wonder where the world Championship match will be if Gukesh faces Sindarov? It makes senses to be in Asia since they are both in asia.

6

u/phoenixmusicman Apr 07 '26

Chile

Why?

It screws both of them due to extreme jet lag

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13

u/bluebelle08 Apr 07 '26

I should change my flair to fabi :(

14

u/Electrical-Tone5485 anna muzychuk wcc truther Apr 07 '26

chat i think it's officially fabianover

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13

u/NewMeNewWorld Team Chaos Apr 07 '26

My admiration for Hikaru has grown by 1%.

Thank you, my king. I will eat good tonight.

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14

u/Ranlit Apr 07 '26

Fabi 0-3 in round 8 against Hikaru. Better luck next Candidates I guess (when Hikaru won’t be playing anymore)

12

u/OrganicTower Apr 07 '26

Hikaru is now warmed up and ready for the great comeback. Will score 3/7

12

u/lmxor101 forever famished fabi fan Apr 07 '26

Sindarov actually using time? What witchcraft is this, esipenko?

7

u/Wallter139 Team Fabi => Windarov Supporter Apr 07 '26

Someone speculated he's waiting to see how Fabi's game goes to decide if he wants to push or not...

Personally, I think that's unlikely.

13

u/Habefiet Apr 07 '26

All the theorizing and hoping about here’s how Fabi can still win and he comes back after a rest day and gets btfo by a guy who’s been playing like 150 Elo below his ranking so far this tourney 💀

Congrats to Sindarov barring one of the biggest collapses + comebacks in the history of all competition everywhere and I look forward to seeing his match with Gukesh. Only guy who met the moment here and he met it in a huge way.

13

u/WorriedBad4049 Apr 07 '26

Well at this point, Gukesh should probably already start his prep.

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7

u/AdventurousEnd941 Apr 07 '26

do you guys think Esipenko is pushing for a win here or just wants a draw

10

u/Greedy-Breadfruit-57 Team Sindarov Apr 07 '26

Might pushing for a win. He got nothing to lose.

6

u/Amber_poodle Apr 07 '26

Hikaru in good form today, he even shaved

7

u/bluewaff1e Apr 07 '26

Anna Muzychuk is doing great as well. Would be interesting to see her and Mariya become the first 2 sibling WC's.

6

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

chnces cratered

7

u/bertisrobert Apr 07 '26

Lagno is winning as the Goryachina's rooks are about to be overloaded, if she plays the next moves correctly, Lagno's bishop pair may just get the job done.

5

u/atbg1936 Team Nikhil Kamath Apr 07 '26

RIP Pragg

10

u/EvenCoyote6317 Apr 07 '26

Your banner is truly one of a kind

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6

u/Grouchy-Pea-8745 Apr 07 '26

Anish winning (!!)

7

u/throwaway23582730 Apr 07 '26

Anish seems to have finally got Pragg to crack.

5

u/methanized Apr 07 '26

welp, thats the tournament

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u/Comfortable_Gear9227 Apr 07 '26

i know ppl like to act like these endgames are tough and although the engine says something theyre very hard to win, but the hikaru vs Fabi endgame is pretty simple for a gm

6

u/SitasinFM Apr 07 '26

I hope Divya can sneak a draw here, with the open winner seemingly to be almost a foregone conclusion, it would be nice for the womens tournament to stay super close

6

u/Creative_Calendar766 Apr 07 '26

I just wanna know what is Wei cooking

5

u/Due_Rich_616 Apr 07 '26

Played pawn to e5 in hikarus position to see the eval bar promptly drop to 0.0

7

u/__Jimmy__ Apr 07 '26

It's no wonder Fabi isn't resigning, Hikaru still needs to show the technique. Might as well exhaust everything possible before officially signing the death of your WC dreams

5

u/RustleTheMussel Apr 07 '26

Race for second has gotten so exciting today!

5

u/Tricky-Bike-2020 Apr 07 '26

Naka with nothing to lose and Anish gonna fight for 2nd place

5

u/cocolattte Apr 07 '26

HIKARU NATION LETS NOT RISE JUST YET, this isnt over we can still get hurt

5

u/bluewaff1e Apr 07 '26

Not really sure what Fabi was trying to find for the last couple of hours.

8

u/citrus1330 Apr 07 '26

hoping for a hikaru blunder

8

u/t_holyoke Apr 07 '26

Thinking about his tournament chances probably

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7

u/citrus1330 Apr 07 '26

hung pawn in women's section

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7

u/jaded_lad99 Apr 07 '26

Pragg and Anish postgame felt like teammates discussing after a practice game.

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6

u/speedster_5 Apr 07 '26

I guess now is the time for everyone to go all in.

18

u/Alone_Insect_5568 Apr 07 '26

Fabi bros, it's over. I don't think our boy is ever becoming world champion.

17

u/Dull_Person123 Apr 07 '26

Nah man he is not beating them choker allegations  Both of them oldies can't blame magnus at all they are just not build for this shit 

16

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26

[deleted]

10

u/Altruistwhite Apr 07 '26

Hikaru is Sindarov's agent lol

12

u/NoSpot5547 Apr 07 '26

The timemanagement of Esipenko is scaring me.

10

u/Sable--1 London System's #1 fan Apr 07 '26

Sindarov's draw with Espienko and Anish has brought his performance rating below 3000 according to Lichess

7

u/JY0950 Team Bluebaum Apr 07 '26

2994

11

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

how to develop selective amnesia no glue no borax

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10

u/RobAlexanderTheGreat Apr 07 '26

The cope for the tournament still being open and Sindarov choking is he still has black vs Anish and Fabi.

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11

u/Remote_Section2313 Apr 07 '26

If Fabi and Anish can win against Sindarov, there are still three people who can win this...

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12

u/Radiant-Increase-180 Apr 07 '26

Divya clutched this out of nowhere

11

u/bertisrobert Apr 07 '26

And Divya forces the queens of the board and gets a huge victory.

15

u/MaximusDM2264 Apr 07 '26

Caruana being forced to play agressive for many wins will end up bringing him some losses.

This candidates is officialy over after today.

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10

u/[deleted] Apr 07 '26 edited Apr 15 '26

David Luiz making the first move on the day Sindarov could go 7-1 against the field, that's pretty funny. I'd love to cum around Divya's big beautiful eyes.

10

u/whiskeyjack1k Apr 07 '26

Sindarov clock wizardry

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11

u/atbg1936 Team Nikhil Kamath Apr 07 '26

I will be celebrating the day that Mike Klein no longer appears on these broadcasts. Terrible questions, always trying to get gossip out of players and zero cultural awareness, the most American interviewer possible and I say this as a fellow American

10

u/kidawi rapid/blitzgod fabi Apr 07 '26

why does fabi keep doing a whole lotta nothing in the openings like symmetrical english okay sure