FIDE Candidates 2026 R7: Wei Yi scores his first win, Vaishali beats Zhongyi

by Devansh Singh - 06/04/2026

The Candidates 2026 is halfway through, and all the players have played a game against each other. After completion of 7 rounds, Javokhir Sindarov is still leading the tournament with 1.5 points over Caruana. In the 7th round, there was only one decisive result: Wei Yi played an excellent, aggressive game against Andrey Esipenko to score his first win of the Candidates. The other 3 games ended in a draw. In the Women's section, Vaishali Rameshbabu won her game against Tan Zhongyi. Vaishali was in great trouble, but Zhongyi made a huge blunder, and Vaishali won the game. The other 3 games ended in a draw. 6th April is the rest day, and players will be ready for the second half of the event after this. Round 8 will start on 7th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Yoav Nis/ FIDE

Rest day....Good or bad for Sindarov??

In chess, normally, rest days are good for players to collect themselves and start again with a better, fresher mindset. The rest day serves its purpose because players can finally relax and play the next round with higher energy.
But as Sindarov, who is already playing tremendous chess, can feel the opposite. Just like in cricket, there are timeouts between overs, and sometimes it breaks the rhythm of the player, and when they come back to play, they get out or score more runs. It can go either way. Let's see how Sindarov will come back on the board after this rest day.

6/7!! Can he make it 12/14?? | Photo: Yoav Nis

When you try to recall the opening you learned as a kid | Photo: Michal Walusza

Open Section

In the open section, there was only one decisive result in which Andrey Esipenko could not handle the pressure from Wei Yi and lost the game. Javokhir Sindarov and Anish Giri played a solid draw, and Anish stopped Javokhir's winning streak. Praggnanadhaa vs Caruana was a solid draw. Hikaru Nakamura and Matthias Bluebaum also drew their game.

Can you guess the player?? | Photo: Yoav Nis

Andrey Esipenko vs Wei Yi (0-1)

Wei Yi played a brilliant game against Andrey Esipenko to win his 1st game of the tournament. It was 3rd time these two guys played in a classical time format, and Wei Yi won it all. Wei Yi got a better position out of the opening and eventually played an aggressive game filled with sacrifices and tactical patterns.

Responding to 15.Bd6, Esipenko played 16.Bd2 with the idea of attacking on the black king's side. This move allowed Wei Yi to play 16.Qe8. The white's position is already cramped as white can't play 0-0-0 because of Qa4, and the king on c1 looks in trouble.

Andrey Esipenko vs Wei Yi (0-1) | Photo: Michal Walusza

Andrey Esipenko just played 26.b3. Can you finish the game in style as Wei Yi did??

Check out the full game below | Photo: Yoav Nis

Javokhir Sindarov vs Anish Giri (0.5-0.5)

Despite Sindarov obtaining a strong position with white, Giri showcased his defensive class to hold a draw, successfully snapping Sindarov’s winning streak. The Sindarov's Storm stopped for a little while, after the rest day, can he start his rampage again??

Anish Giri took a calculated decision in this position and captured the pawn on b3 with the rook, sacrificing the exchange, but the position was holdable, and he managed to hold it for a draw.

Javokhir Sindarov's 4-game winning streak finally came to an end! It was Anish Giri who made a hard-fought draw against Sindarov with the Black pieces. Sindarov was pushing for a long time in a slightly favorable ending, but the game finally ended in a draw with Anish's staunch defense.

The handshake!! Javokhir Sindarov vs Anish Giri (0.5-0.5) | Photo: Yoav Nis

Anish Giri is known for his absolutely solid play on the board. But what would happen when he would face the man in form - the guy who is on 5.5/6 - Javokhir Sindarov? This happened at round 7 of the FIDE Candidates 2026. Check out this amazing game with a lot of excitement and commentary by IM Sagar Shah.

Matthias Blübaum and Hikaru Nakamura made a solid draw | Photo: Yoav Nis

Praggnanandhaa had to fight against Caruana's excellent opening preparation and figure out a way to make a draw. | Photo: Michal Walusza

What a new and fresh idea Fabiano Caruana has played in this opening against Praggnanandhaa at round 7 of the FIDE Candidates 2026. Check out the game between players who are in the running for the top spots of the tournament as they try to go out against each other. Commentary by IM Sagar Shah.

Round 7 Result | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 7 | Graphic: FIDE

Player of the day | Graphic: FIDE

Round 8 Pairings:

Replay games of the Open section

Women's Section

In the Women's Section, Vaishali Rameshbabu scored her second consecutive win of the tournament. Other 3 games ended in a draw. It was a hard-fought battle between Divya Deshmukh and Kateryna Lagno. Divya was leading and had a great chance in the position, but it ended in a draw. After the first half of the FIDE Women's Candidates 2026, going into the 2nd rest day, the late replacement Anna Muzychuk is still the sole leader with 4.5/7 points. Vaishali is just half a point behind with 4/7 points, while Divya is on 3.5/7 points.

Vaishali was in a good mood during the post-match press conference | Photo: Michal Walusza

Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Tan Zhongyi (1-0)

Vaishali achieved a remarkable second consecutive win. After being in a difficult, nearly lost position, she managed to stabilize the game. The match ended abruptly when Tan Zhongyi committed a one-move blunder, allowing a rook sacrifice that forced a resignation. This win put Vaishali in sole second place.

White to play and win

This blunder shows that anything can happen in a chess game

From the starting moment, to the move which changed the game, the final moments, a detailed interview with Vaishali, and the official press conference!

Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Tan Zhongyi (1-0) | Photo: Yoav Nis

R. Vaishali played against Tan Zhongyi in the 7th round of the FIDE Candidates 2026. One of the biggest blunders in the world of chess that you will ever see occurred in this game! Check out the commentary by IM Sagar Shah

Divya Deshmukh vs Kateryna Lagno (0.5-0.5)

In one of the longest games of the tournament, Divya built a winning position after Lagno made a mistake with her queen and grabbed the extra pawn. Despite having an extra pawn and significant activity, Divya was unable to convert the advantage into a full point and had to settle for a draw.

'It's been 135 moves, Divya. Let's end this.' | Photo: Michal Walusza

'Wait a second, what's going on here?' | Photo: Michal Walusza

Check out one of the longest games of the Candidates 2026 below | Photo: Yoav Nis

Anna Muzychuk drew her game against Bibisara Assaubayeva to keep her sole lead | Photo: Yoav Nis

Aleksandra Goryachkina vs Zhu Jiner (0.5-0.5) | Photo: Yoav Nis

Round 7 Results | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 7 | Graphic: FIDE

Round 8 Pairing

Replay games of the Women's section

Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, FIDE

Mohammed Al Mudahka made the inaugural move | Photo: Yoav Nis

His Ritual?? | Photo: Yoav Nis

Matching?? | Photo: Yoav Nis

Hikaru with his young fan | Photo: Michal Walusza

................

The walk of the champion | Photo: Michal Walusza

Say chesssssss | Photo: Michal Walusza

'Love is in the air.' | Photo: Yoav Nis

Have you read his books?? | Photo: Michal Walusza

Yoav Nis captured by Michal Walusza

This feeling is surreal | Photo: Yoav Nis

Tan Zhongyi! | Photo: Michal Walusza

Insert caption 'here' | Photo: Yoav Nis

Viswanathan Anand joined the commentary with Peter Svidler and Jan Gustafsson | Photo: Michal Walusza

Pragg needs to start winning some games to catch Sindarov | Photo: Yoav Nis

FIDE Team | Photo: Michal Walusza

Smiles everywhere | Photo: Michal Walusza

Videos:

Check out the starting moments of Round 7 at the FIDE Candidates 2026 - the final round before the 2nd rest day of the tournament!

Check out this detailed recap video of the 7th round at FIDE Candidates 2026

Anish defended solidly to hold Javokhir Sindarov to a draw in Round 7 of the FIDE Candidates, ending Sindarov's win streak. In this video, we show you the final moments of the game and a detailed interview with Anish Giri, where he talks about the game and his thought process.

Live Stream

Watch Live Stream by IM Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal from Cyprus | Video: ChesBase India

Pairings: Round 8

Graphic: FIDE

Venue: Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort, Cyprus

Official FIDE partner for Candidates 2026 | Photo: FIDE Chess

The multi-award-winning Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort has been selected by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) as the ideal destination to host the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026, an event of historic and international significance. This selection represents the highest recognition both for Cyprus and for Cap St Georges Hotel& Resort, affirming the prestige, reliability, and organizational excellence required to host a world-class chess tournament. Surrounded by landscaped gardens with centuries-old olive trees, the resort reflects the island’s character through refined architecture and well-designed spaces, with a strong focus on privacy, comfort, and attentive service.

Both tournaments are held side by side at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort in Cyprus, a five-star coastal venue near Paphos. The resort offers a calm and professional setting for elite competition, with the playing hall, accommodation, and preparation areas located within the same complex, allowing players to focus fully on the event. Photo Gallery of Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort

Enjoy an amazing venue tour of the FIDE Candidates 2026 in Cyprus, happening at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Paphos. Sagar and Amruta give an extensive tour. Enjoy!

Schedule and Format

Each tournament features eight of the world’s strongest players competing in a double round-robin format over fourteen rounds of classical chess. All the games will start at 15:30 Local Time/18:15 IST

Key details and Information

Two tournaments will be held side by side – the (Open) FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.

Format: In both the Open and the Women’s, the eight qualified players will compete in a double round-robin tournament, consisting of 14 rounds.

Time control: The games will be played with a time control of 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 41.

Prize fund: The minimum prize fund for the event stands at a record €1,000,000.

Tie-breaks: In the event of a tie for first place after 14 rounds, a playoff will be held to determine the winner who qualifies for the World Championship Match, which will take place in November 2026.