FIDE Candidates 2026 R9: Anish Giri scores second consecutive win, Climbs up to 2nd spot

by Devansh Singh - 09/04/2026

Anish Giri scored a huge win in the 9th round of FIDE Candidates 2026. Anish won a beautiful game against Fabiano Caruana to climb up to 2nd position. Javokhir Sindarov missed a huge chance against Matthias Bluebaum and drew his game. Anish is currently on 5.5/9 points while Sindarov is on 7/9 points. R Praggnanandhaa was also clearly winning his game, but made some inaccurate moves, and the game ended in a draw. In the Women's Section, Vaishali Rameshbabu scored a big win over Divya Deshmukh, and Zhu Jiner beat Kateryna Lagno. After round 9, both players are in joint 1st place, going into the 10th round. Round 10 will start on 9th April at 15:45 Local Time/18:15 IST. Photos: Michal Walusza, Niki Riga/ FIDE

Sindarov and Pragg miss a huge chance

Sindarov could have maintained his 2 point lead, but he missed a very simple chance in a clearly winning position against Matthias Bluebaum. The game between Anish and Caruana was very important for the standings, as both players were in joint second place with equal points. Win over Caruana, helped Anish gain sole second place. On the other hand, Praggnanandhaa was dominating Wei Yi throughout the game but missed his winning chances in a complex game. This could have been a turning point for Praggnanandhaa, but he is still trailing Sindarov by 2.5 points.

Sindarov will face Praggnanandhaa in the 10th round

Open Section

In the Open Section of FIDE Candidates 2026, it's now clear that all the players are playing fighting chess and taking their chances to catch Sindarov. With just 5 rounds to go, it is going to be a tough nut to crack. In the 9th round, there was only 1 decisive game where Anish Giri won against Fabiano Caruana. The game between Praggnanandhaa and Wei Yi ended in a draw as Pragg missed his chances. Sindarov was clearly winning against Bluebaum, but missed the chances too. Andrey Esipenko and Hikaru Nakamura played a solid draw.

Anish secured his 2nd win in a row

Fabiano Caruana vs Anish Giri (0-1)

It was a theoretical battle as expected between these two players. Before the Candidates started, Anish and Caruana were considered as the favourites to win, but after 8 rounds of play, it was Javokhir Sindarov who was leading the event. In the 9th round, when Fabi and Anish got paired against each other, it was clear that both would play for a win to catch the Sindarov.

Anish was happy with his position after the opening

Anish managed to get a comfortable position from the middlegame, and the knight on a1 is looking so helpless there. Anish played 37...c5 with the idea of fixing the weaknesses in the position, and at this point, Caruana blundered and played 38.Kg3, Better was to play dxc6 Qxc6, followed by Nc2 attacking the pawn on b4

Fabiano Caruana vs Anish Giri (0-1)

Anish Giri took down Fabiano Caruana with the Black pieces in Round 9 of the FIDE Candidates 2026! Check out our interview with Anish and the complete press conference.

Matthias Bluebaum vs Javokhir Sindarov (0.5-0.5)

When these players got paired in the second round of Candidates, the game ended in a draw. After that draw, Sindarov's Rampage started. In the 9th round, at one point, it was clear that Sindarov was going to win another round and keep increasing his lead, but something strange happened.....

Bluebaum was in big trouble, and the king on c1 was so weak that Sindarov could have won this game in any manner, but here Sindarov played a shocking 24...Bxa4 allows the queen to trade. The better move was to simply avoid the queen trade and play Qb7 or Qa5

Matthias Bluebaum vs Javokhir Sindarov (0.5-0.5)

When you know you missed a golden opportunity

Watch the post-game interviews with both the players and the complete press conference!

R Praggnanandhaa vs Wei Yi (0.5-0.5)

Praggnanandhaa missed a winning idea in a completely winning position. Pragg played a really nice game, getting the advantage and keeping it towards the endgame, but after missing the chance, he had to settle for a draw.

Both games between these 2 players at the Candidates ended in a draw

Pragg was playing with the white pieces here and responding to 41....Ba6, he played 42.Qc6, allowing Rd8. Instead of that, he could have played b4!! blocking the bishop forever.

R Praggnanandhaa vs Wei Yi (0.5-0.5)

Andrey Esipenko played a solid draw against Hikaru Nakamura with black pieces

Round 9 Results | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 9 | Graphic: FIDE

Player of the day | Graphic: FIDE

Round 10 Pairings:

Replay games of the Open section

Women's Section

In the Women's Section, there were two decisive results. In an Indian Clash, Vaishali Rameshbabu won against Divya Deshmukh to get the joint lead with Zhu Jiner, who also won her game in the 9th round against Kateryna Lagno. The other 2 games between Tan Zhongyi vs Anna Muzychuk and Aleksandra Goryachkina vs Bibisara Assaubayeva ended in a draw.

Vaishali scored 3.5 in her last 4 games

Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Divya Deshmukh (1-0)

Vaishali got an early advantage in the game and slowly converted it into a winning position. Check out some critical moments from the game below.

Divya played 17.Nd7, allowing Vaishali to capture the pawn on c6

Shocked!

After 22.Nd3, Vaishali sacrificed the ROOKKKKK! and captured on d3

Try to find the finishing blow here (Sacrifice)

Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Divya Deshmukh (1-0)

Watch the final moments of the game, a very special interview, and the Press conference!

Zhu Jiner won her game after Lagno failed to find a creative defensive sequence. With this victory, Zhu Jiner moved into a joint lead of the tournament.

Tan Zhongyi vs Anna Muzychuk (0.5-0.5)

Aleksandra Goryachkina vs Bibisara Assaubayeva (0.5-0.5)

Round 9 Results | Graphic: FIDE

Standings after round 9 | Graphic: FIDE

Round 10 Pairing

Replay games of the Women's section

Photo Gallery: ChessBase India, FIDE

Look who is here

Nepo is keeping a close eye on the games

Lets play

Anish is coming for Sindarov

Vaishali in post match press conference

Yet to score his first win

Videos:

Watch the starting moments of Round 9 as the players make their way in for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026.

It was a very exciting day at the 9th round of the FIDE Candidates 2026 - significant changes took place in the leaderboards! Vaishali won the all-Indian battle, Javokhir missed a big chance - get to know all that happened in this Recap video straight from Cyprus.

Live Stream

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

Pairings: Round 10

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.