FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 · Move x Move

§ 01 · Round timeline

The rounds

Round 1

Bluebaum — Wei · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense Caruana — Nakamura · 1–0English Opening: Agincourt Defense Praggnanandhaa R — Giri · 1–0Sicilian Defense: Closed Sindarov — Esipenko · 1–0Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation

Round 2

Esipenko — Nakamura · ½–½English Opening: Agincourt Defense Giri — Caruana · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined Sindarov — Bluebaum · ½–½Petrov's Defense: Karklins-Martinovsky Variation Wei — Praggnanandhaa R · ½–½French Defense: Steinitz Variation, Boleslavsky Variation

Round 3

Bluebaum — Esipenko · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation Caruana — Wei · 1–0English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation Nakamura — Giri · ½–½English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Flexible Line Praggnanandhaa R — Sindarov · 0–1Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line

Round 4

Bluebaum — Praggnanandhaa R · ½–½Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Meran Variation Esipenko — Giri · 0–1Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation Sindarov — Caruana · 1–0Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Steinitz Variation, Development Variation Wei — Nakamura · ½–½Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Lipnitsky Attack

Round 5

Caruana — Bluebaum · 1–0Petrov's Defense: Paulsen Attack Giri — Wei · ½–½Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line Nakamura — Sindarov · 0–1Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit, Main Line Praggnanandhaa R — Esipenko · ½–½Zukertort Opening

Round 6

Caruana — Esipenko · ½–½English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Neo-Catalan Declined Giri — Bluebaum · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation Nakamura — Praggnanandhaa R · ½–½Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation, Romanishin–Psakhis Variation Wei — Sindarov · 0–1Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid

Round 7

Bluebaum — Nakamura · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation Esipenko — Wei · 0–1Petrov's Defense: Modern Attack Praggnanandhaa R — Caruana · ½–½Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Krause Attack Sindarov — Giri · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense

Round 8

Esipenko — Sindarov · ½–½English Opening: Agincourt Defense, Bogoljubow Defense Giri — Praggnanandhaa R · 1–0Queen's Gambit Accepted Nakamura — Caruana · 1–0English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense Wei — Bluebaum · ½–½Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid

Round 9

Bluebaum — Sindarov · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack Caruana — Giri · 0–1Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo Nakamura — Esipenko · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation, Normal Line Praggnanandhaa R — Wei · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation

Round 10

Esipenko — Bluebaum · ½–½Petrov's Defense: Paulsen Attack Giri — Nakamura · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation Sindarov — Praggnanandhaa R · 1–0Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation Wei — Caruana · ½–½French Defense: Winawer Variation, Alekhine-Maróczy Gambit

Round 11

Caruana — Sindarov · ½–½Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line Giri — Esipenko · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation Nakamura — Wei · ½–½Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Classical Line Praggnanandhaa R — Bluebaum · ½–½Petrov's Defense: Karklins-Martinovsky Variation

Round 12

Bluebaum — Caruana · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation Esipenko — Praggnanandhaa R · ½–½English Opening: Agincourt Defense Sindarov — Nakamura · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation Wei — Giri · ½–½Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid, Spielmann Attack

Round 13

Caruana — Praggnanandhaa R · ½–½Nimzo-Indian Defense: Three Knights Variation Giri — Sindarov · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Charousek Variation Nakamura — Bluebaum · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined Wei — Esipenko · 1–0Petrov's Defense: Kaufmann Attack

Round 14

Bluebaum — Giri · 0–1Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defense, Alekhine Variation Esipenko — Caruana · 0–1Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation Praggnanandhaa R — Nakamura · ½–½Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation Sindarov — Wei · ½–½Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Rubinstein Variation Accepted

§ 02 · After round 14

Standings

PTS · tournament points

#PlayerRtgScorePts

1Sindarov2745

½½½½10.0

2Giri2753

½½½W8.5

3Caruana2795

½½½W7.5

4Wei2754

½½W½7.0

5Nakamura2810

½½½½6.5

6Bluebaum2698

½½½L6.0

7Praggnanandhaa R2741

½½½½6.0

8Esipenko2698

½½LL4.5

§ 03

Crosstable

Row vs column · combined score

vs.	Sind	Giri	Caru	Wei	Naka	Blue	R	Esip	Pts
Sindarov	—	1	1½	1½	1½	1	2	1½	10.0
Giri	1	—	1½	1	1	1½	1	1½	8.5
Caruana	½	½	—	1½	1	1½	1	1½	7.5
Wei	½	1	½	—	1	1	1	2	7.0
Nakamura	½	1	1	1	—	1	1	1	6.5
Bluebaum	1	½	½	1	1	—	1	1	6.0
Praggnanandhaa R	0	1	1	1	1	1	—	1	6.0
Esipenko	½	½	½	0	1	1	1	—	4.5

§ 04 · Annotated highlights

What to read

Round 9 · left theory

Bluebaum, Matthias — Sindarov, Javokhir

119 moves · Read annotated game →

Round 8 · left theory

Nakamura, Hikaru — Caruana, Fabiano

133 moves · Read annotated game →

Round 5 · left theory

Nakamura, Hikaru — Sindarov, Javokhir

82 moves · Read annotated game →