The biggest week in chess this year. Javokhir Sindarov finished the 2026 FIDE Candidates with the highest score in modern tournament history. Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women’s section to set up a title match against Ju Wenjun. In Europe, a 126th seed won the continental championship. And FIDE changed the rules on classical ratings. A lot happened. Let us go through it all.
Sindarov Finishes With 10/14 - A Record That May Never Be Broken
The 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament concluded on April 15 and 16 in Pegeia, Cyprus. Javokhir Sindarov ended the 14-round event with a final score of 10.0 out of 14 points. Six wins, eight draws, zero losses. That is the highest score ever recorded in the modern eight-player double round-robin Candidates format, which has been running since 2013.
In Round 14 on April 15, Sindarov drew with Wei Yi in just eight minutes and 31 moves. The game was a Four Knights Spanish that reached threefold repetition almost immediately. The title was already secured. He just needed to get off the board safely.
Anish Giri beat Matthias Bluebaum to take sole second place. Bluebaum deviated from his normal solid style and blundered on move 14, allowing Giri to convert the win. Fabiano Caruana beat Andrey Esipenko with a spectacular exchange sacrifice, playing 13…Rxc3 in a Dragondorf structure and finishing the game on move 40. R. Praggnanandhaa and Hikaru Nakamura drew in 33 moves.
Sindarov’s 10.0/14 breaks the previous Candidates record of 9.5/14 set by Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2022. His halfway score of 6.0/7 also broke the halfway record, surpassing Nepomniachtchi’s 5.5/7 from that same event. Sindarov’s 50-game classical unbeaten streak remains intact.
The upcoming World Chess Championship match between Sindarov and D Gukesh will feature a combined age of 40 years, the youngest in the history of the sport. The previous record was 50 years, set by Gukesh and Ding Liren in 2024.
Open Section Final Standings:
| Rank | Player | Country | Score | W-D-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Javokhir Sindarov | UZB | 10.0 / 14 | 6-8-0 |
| 2 | GM Anish Giri | NED | 8.5 / 14 | 4-9-1 |
| 3 | GM Fabiano Caruana | USA | 7.5 / 14 | 4-7-3 |
| 4 | GM Wei Yi | CHN | 7.0 / 14 | 2-10-2 |
| 5 | GM Hikaru Nakamura | USA | 6.5 / 14 | 1-11-1 |
| 6 | GM Matthias Bluebaum | GER | 6.0 / 14 | 0-12-2 |
| 7 | GM Praggnanandhaa R | IND | 6.0 / 14 | 1-10-3 |
| 8 | GM Andrey Esipenko | FIDE | 4.5 / 14 | 0-9-5 |
After winning, Sindarov said: “In my opinion here I played chess better than everyone! When I got chances I started to play very confidently and I realized every small chance.” He also gave perhaps the most memorable post-tournament quote of the year: “I’m not a guy who likes sitting 24 hours checking lines. I play bullet also. I just try to enjoy the moment, enjoy life, and play good chess, and everything works well!” On the World Championship: “I don’t want to play a world championship match in cold weather.“
His coach IM Roman Vidonyak said the team has completed two of their four goals. The remaining two are winning the World Championship and dominating chess like Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, and Magnus Carlsen.
Vaishali Wins the Women's Candidates, Will Face Ju Wenjun
On the same day as Round 14 of the Open section, April 15, Vaishali Rameshbabu clinched the Women’s Candidates title outright. Her final score was 8.5 out of 14 points. No tiebreaks needed.
In the decisive final round game against Kateryna Lagno, Vaishali had the white pieces in a Sicilian Dragon. She won a pawn early and converted with 96 percent accuracy. With five minutes left on her clock, she found 39.Rd8+ followed by 40.c4, creating mating threats that forced Lagno to give up material and resign. At the same time, co-leader Bibisara Assaubayeva was held to a draw by Divya Deshmukh. Assaubayeva had sacrificed a knight on f2 but the complications fizzled into a draw by repetition after Divya missed a winning continuation with 27.Nd6. Goryachkina beat Tan Zhongyi, and Anna Muzychuk and Zhu Jiner drew.
Vaishali entered the tournament as the lowest-rated player in the eight-woman field. She won it outright. According to FIDE, her tournament performance rating was 2607, well above her pre-event rating of 2470. She earned €65,400 in prize money.
After winning she said: “It’s amazing, a dream come true for me.” On her Round 12 loss to Zhu Jiner, which preceded her final run: “When I lost to Zhu Jiner I felt, OK, we’re back to normal now, and the last two days I was just trying to focus on my game and give my best.” On her family: “For a family, it’s a long journey to have two professionals at home. My family had to make many sacrifices in the beginning.“
Vaishali will now challenge five-time Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun of China. She is only the second Indian woman in history to reach a Women’s World Championship match, following Koneru Humpy in 2011.
Women's Section Final Standings:
| Rank | Player | Country | Score | W-D-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Vaishali Rameshbabu | IND | 8.5 / 14 | 5-7-2 |
| 2 | GM Bibisara Assaubayeva | KAZ | 8.0 / 14 | 4-8-2 |
| 3 | GM Zhu Jiner | CHN | 7.5 / 14 | 5-5-4 |
| 4 | GM Aleksandra Goryachkina | FIDE | 7.5 / 14 | 3-9-2 |
| 5 | GM Anna Muzychuk | UKR | 7.0 / 14 | 2-10-2 |
| 6 | GM Kateryna Lagno | FIDE | 6.5 / 14 | 4-5-5 |
| 7 | GM Divya Deshmukh | IND | 5.5 / 14 | 2-7-5 |
| 8 | GM Tan Zhongyi | CHN | 5.5 / 14 | 1-9-4 |
India Celebrates, Anand Says "One Horse in Both Races"
The reaction in India was immediate. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a congratulatory message on X, praising Vaishali’s passion and dedication.
Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand put the achievement in perspective, saying: “We will have one horse in both races.” He added: “A proud moment for Indian chess with two Indians to cheer for in the World Championships. I am personally proud that our WacaChess mentee will now have a shot at the title.”
Vaishali’s childhood coach RB Ramesh traveled from Chennai to Cyprus to attend the closing ceremony. When she walked out of the playing hall after her Round 14 win, she was met by her mother Nagalakshmi and her brother, GM Praggnanandhaa R.
Reigning World Champion D Gukesh has also confirmed he is withdrawing from the classical events on the Grand Chess Tour to focus entirely on his title defense. The World Championship match against Sindarov is expected in November or December 2026.
Uzbekistan Gives Sindarov a State Award
Back in Tashkent, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev personally attended a ceremony on April 17 to award Sindarov the Mehnat Shuhrati, or Glory of Labor Order. According to Kun.uz, the President had already called Sindarov after the tournament to congratulate him. At the ceremony he recognized the victory as a significant achievement for all of Uzbekistan and thanked Sindarov’s parents, grandparents, and coaches.
Financial projections in local media estimate that combining his Candidates prize money with his guaranteed share of the World Championship prize fund, Sindarov’s total earnings from this championship cycle will exceed 1.3 million US dollars.
Dehtiarov Wins the European Individual Chess Championship
The most surprising result of the week came from Katowice, Poland, where the European Individual Chess Championship concluded on April 19. Ukrainian International Master Roman Dehtiarov won the 501-player event with a score of 9.0 out of 11 points, entering as the 126th seed with a rating of 2452.
Dehtiarov beat grandmasters including Ediz Gurel and Alan Pichot during the event. His final round victory came against Spanish GM David Anton Guijarro, rated 2656. Nijat Abasov, Aydin Suleymanli, Mahammad Muradli, and Gleb Dudin tied for second place with 8.5/11.
By winning the championship, Dehtiarov automatically earned the Grandmaster title and qualified for the next FIDE World Cup. It is one of the biggest upsets in the history of the European Championship.
Niemann Beats Liang in Paris Match
American GM Hans Niemann defeated GM Awonder Liang 7.5 to 4.5 in a 12-game fast-classical match at the Paris Blitz Society, concluding April 15. The match used a time control of 60 minutes plus a 30-second increment. Niemann won three games and drew nine, remaining undefeated throughout. Liang did not win a single game in the series.
Adams Wins the Bob Wade Memorial in New Zealand
English GM Michael Adams won the 2026 Bob Wade Memorial Masters in Auckland, New Zealand, scoring 6.5 out of 9 points. Fellow English GM Daniel Fernandez finished second with 6.0 points. Seventeen-year-old FM Felix Xie of New Zealand finished third with 5.0 points and earned an International Master norm. Malaysian GM Yeoh Li Tian finished fifth with 4.5 points, his only loss of the tournament coming against Xie.
FIDE Approves Faster Time Controls for Classical Ratings
On April 17, the FIDE Council passed a regulation allowing tournaments using 45+30 or 60+30 time controls to count toward standard classical ratings and title norms. According to FIDE, the change is designed to reduce costs for players and organizers, allowing top-level opens to finish in five or six days instead of nine or ten.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said the change is about “adapting the pace of modern sport while preserving the quality and essence of the game.” Organizers must apply to the FIDE Qualification Commission for approval. Tournaments are capped at two rounds per day and players may only count one norm earned under these faster controls toward any single title such as GM or IM.
Kazakhstan Dominates the World Cadet and Youth Rapid Championships
The FIDE World Cadet and Youth Rapid Championships concluded on April 17 in Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia. Kazakhstan led the medal table with five gold, four silver, and two bronze medals from 432 players across 40 countries. Kazakhstan’s IM Aldiyar Ansat won the Under-18 Open section with 9.0 out of 11 points. Uzbekistan’s Afruza Khamdamova won the Under-18 Girls section. India’s Shreyanshi Jain won gold in the Under-8 Girls section and Aryan Mehta won silver in the Under-12 Boys section. Russian players competing under the FIDE flag won ten medals including two golds.
What This Week Means for Young Chess Players
Two players in their early twenties are about to play for the World Chess Championship. A 24-year-old from India just won the Women’s Candidates as the lowest-rated player in the field. A 126th seed won the European Championship. This week showed that rankings and ratings are just numbers. What matters is preparation, belief, and showing up when it counts. If your child is learning chess right now, point them to this week and tell them that this is what the game can look like. Read more about why chess builds these qualities in our article on the connection between chess and IQ.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 World Chess Championship between Sindarov and Gukesh is expected in November or December 2026. The Women’s World Championship between Vaishali and Ju Wenjun follows the same timeline. Both match dates and locations are pending official announcement from FIDE.
FAQ
His final score of 10.0 out of 14 points is the highest ever recorded in the modern eight-player double round-robin Candidates format. The previous record of 9.5 was set by Ian Nepomniachtchi at the 2022 Candidates in Madrid.
Both players are 20 years old, giving the match a combined age of 40 years. That is the youngest combined-age World Championship in the entire history of the sport, breaking the previous record of 50 years set by Gukesh and Ding Liren in 2024.
She will challenge five-time reigning Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun of China. It is only the second time an Indian woman has played in a Women's World Championship match. Koneru Humpy was the first, against Hou Yifan in 2011.
Tournaments using 45+30 or 60+30 time controls can now be rated as standard classical chess and used to earn title norms. Organizers must apply for approval and are limited to two rounds per day. Players can use a maximum of one such norm toward any single title.
