Key Updates
Open section - match report is here, read below:
FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Section: Sindarov plays a quick draw with Nakamura to extend lead in standings
Javokhir Sindarov takes no risks, settles for quick draw against Hikaru Nakamura to extend lead at the top.
April 12, 2026 23:57
Anish Giri vs Wei Yi
Wei Yi has held Anish Giri to a draw.
April 12, 2026 23:23
Another result of the day is here
Aleksandra Goryachkina has held Anna Muzychuk to a draw in Round 12.
April 12, 2026 22:56
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
A wrong move from Divya cost her the game, and she currently sits at the bottom of the women’s section.
April 12, 2026 22:30
Vaishali goes down to Zhu Jiner in Round 12: Read here
FIDE Candidates 2026 Women’s section: Vaishali stumbles against Zhu Jiner; title-race wide open
The game began with a Caro-Kann Defence, with Vaishali, playing White, opting for an aggressive approach and advancing her h-pawn early.
April 12, 2026 21:53
Another result is here
Vaishali has resigned against Zhu Jiner. Zhu joins Vaishali atop the table.
April 12, 2026 21:50
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays knight c1 on move 36, which the engine considers a poor move.
April 12, 2026 21:47
Zhu Jiner vs Vaishali
Vaishali plays Queen h8+ -- this is the coronary check. After invading via h7, Vaishali delivers a check on the back rank.
April 12, 2026 21:45
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu Jiner is not backing down. By playing h4 move 31, she is trying to create her own passer and open lines against Vaishali’s king, which is now missing its queen’s protection.
April 12, 2026 21:43
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays Qh1 is a move .. pulling the queen back into the corner like a coiled spring. Zhu Jiner’s Rg4 is the immediate retort, a bold rook move intended to set the kingside on fire.
April 12, 2026 21:41
Zhu Jiner vs Vaishali
Zhu Jiner played h5 on move 29 - it is a double-edged move.
April 12, 2026 21:38
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Will Zhu play pawn to h4 to get the decisive advantage.
April 12, 2026 21:37
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays bishop to d4 on move 29, maximising the pressure on Zhu Jiner’s centralised knight (d5) and the pieces behind it.
April 12, 2026 21:35
Vaishalis vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu Jiner plays Queen b7 next - directly contesting Vaishali’s doubled rooks on the b-file.
April 12, 2026 21:31
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
The Queen e4 is a dual-purpose move. It pins and pressures (the queen now eyes the knight on d5) and also attacks the kingside.
April 12, 2026 21:30
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu Jiner’s Knight xd5 accepts the central challenge, but Vaishali’s Qe4 is a hammer blow of a move in 28th move.
April 12, 2026 21:28
Zhu Jiner vs Vaishali
Vaishali ignores the bait and, instead of trading the rooks, launches a central attack with d5. Great move.
April 12, 2026 21:27
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu counters with Rb5 in reply. It’s a bold move that dares the tournament leader to trade.
April 12, 2026 21:25
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali completes what she started, she plays Rfb1 - doubling rooks on b file.
April 12, 2026 21:24
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
The battle for the b-file has officially begun. Vaishali plays Rook b2, clearing the way for her other rook to join her on the b-file.
Zhu Jiner responds immediately by centralising her queen with Qc6.April 12, 2026 21:05
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
Divya has only 4 minutes left against Tan Zhongyi with 40 minutes on the clock.
April 12, 2026 20:58
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu Jiner plays Rook g8 in 18th move, which the engines call a bad move.
April 12, 2026 20:56
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays Queen f4, and Zhu Jiner immediately plays Queen b5.
April 12, 2026 20:52
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali has to make around 24 moves, and she is down to 16 minutes.
April 12, 2026 20:51
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu Jiner plays a6. She wants to go for the idea of Queen b5, trying to improve her pawn structure.
April 12, 2026 20:46
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays Bishop c2. Will Zhu Jiner move her pawn to c4 next?
April 12, 2026 20:31
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
Divya is pushing all her pawns forward; she is centralising the attack.
April 12, 2026 20:14
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali castles, and Zhu Jiner plays Bishop b8. Vaishali is thinking now, with 18 minutes remaining for her, with just 15 moves made.
April 12, 2026 19:49
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu immediately captures the piece with b takes c5, and Vaishali now plays Queen a4.
April 12, 2026 19:48
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays d takes c5 after almost 25 mins of thinking.
April 12, 2026 19:43
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
Divya plays king to h2, securing her king, and Tan plays Bishop b7, completing a very solid defensive and attacking setup.
April 12, 2026 19:37
Zhu Jiner vs Vaishali
Vaishali is down to 45 minutes on the clock as she thinks about her next move.
April 12, 2026 19:28
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali is attacking the kingside with h5, while Zhu Jiner is playing a defensive regrouping with Queen to c8.
April 12, 2026 19:22
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Following h4 on the 8th move, Vaishali next plays h5 in the 12th move, which directly pushes to soften Zhu’s pawn structure.
April 12, 2026 19:21
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays - Rc1, positioning her rook on the half-open file. Zhu responds with Nc6, finally bringing her knight to its most active square, challenging Vaishali’s centre.
April 12, 2026 19:13
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
Divya plays bishop e3, and Zhongyi moves b5.
April 12, 2026 19:10
Read in detail below about what happened during Sindarov and Nakamura:
FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Section: Sindarov plays a quick draw with Nakamura to extend lead in standings
Javokhir Sindarov takes no risks, settles for quick draw against Hikaru Nakamura to extend lead at the top.
April 12, 2026 18:51
The first result of the day is already here
The matches just started, and Sindarov and Nakamura have already finished in a draw. Both played a three-fold repetition.
April 12, 2026 18:45
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu plays b6, likely intending to fianchetto her bishop on b7 and challenge the long diagonal.
April 12, 2026 18:43
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays h4, a sharp and aggressive thrust. Zhu responds by developing the knight to d7, staying flexible. Vaishali then brings her other knight to e2, preparing for central coordination.
April 12, 2026 18:36
Sindarov vs Nakamura
Sindarov is a pawn up, and both are exchanging a lot of pieces. The match is likely heading for a draw.
April 12, 2026 18:35
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Yes, Vaishali does play h4 next.
April 12, 2026 18:33
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Zhu Jiner plays h6, and will Vaishali develop her pawn to h4?
April 12, 2026 18:32
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali develops her knight to its most natural square - Nc3, while Zhu responds with Ne7.
April 12, 2026 18:31
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali plays Bd3, offering an immediate trade of the light-squared bishops. Zhu accepts with B-xd3, and Vaishali recaptures with the pawn with c-xd3.
April 12, 2026 18:28
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
Divya has steered the game into a King’s Indian attack setup. By playing d3 and Bg2, she’s building a solid, flexible fortress. Tan’s Bc5 and castling show a active response.
April 12, 2026 18:23
Sindarov vs Nakamura
Almost 20 moves have been made already in the match between Sindarov and Nakamura, and it is already heading for a draw.
April 12, 2026 18:22
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
Tan plays knight F6 to immediately challenging the centre while Divya prepares to fianchetto the bishop.
April 12, 2026 18:21
Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
Divya has chosen the Kingside Fianchetto variation of the Open Game. By playing g3 in the third move, Divya is avoiding the heavily theorised main lines like the Ruy Lopez or Italian Game.
April 12, 2026 18:17
Zhu Jiner vs Vaishali
Zhu Jiner has opted for the Caro-Kann Defence, a solid and reliable choice. Vaishali responds with the standard main lines (d4), setting up a classical battle for the centre.
April 12, 2026 18:15
Matches are coming up next
Zhu Jiner and R Vaishali are on the board for their match.
April 12, 2026 18:09
Divya vs Tan Zhongyi
Tan Zhongyi has reached the playing hall for her clash with Divya Deshmukh.
April 12, 2026 18:08
Vaishali vs Zhu Jiner
Vaishali’s win over Zhu Jiner tonight will extend her lead at the top of the women’s section.
April 12, 2026 18:01
Praggnanandhaa sits seventh with 4.5 points
It was a frustrating round for Praggnanandhaa yesterday against Bluebaum. He was winning on two occasions, but Bluebaum countered well and forced the match to a draw. The Indian GM will play Andrey Esipenko today.
April 12, 2026 17:54
Pragg spends most time on the board, says Sindarov - listen below
April 12, 2026 17:49
Hikaru Nakamura records second-longest move in FIDE Candidates history
Hikaru Nakamura records second-longest move in FIDE Candidates history during loss vs Javokhir Sindarov
American GM Hikaru Nakamura spent over one hour to make a move during a FIDE Candidates 2026 match against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov on Friday in Cyprus.
April 12, 2026 17:49
Sindarov leads the open section
Sindarov and Nakamura’s clash earlier in the tournament would be remembered for Nakamura taking more than an hour to make a move, a record in itself. It’d be interesting to see whether the Uzbekistan GM bags another victory that almost wins him the Candidates title or whether Nakamura pulls off an upset.
April 12, 2026 17:46
Can Divya pick a win tonight
Divya Deshmukh is placed seventh in the standings and will face Tan Zhongyi, against whom she had drawn earlier in the tournament.
April 12, 2026 17:37
Earlier in the tournament
Zhu Jiner defeated Vaishali in Round five. Today, Vaishali will play with the White pieces, looking to consolidate her lead heading into the rest day tomorrow.
April 12, 2026 17:36
Important match for Vaishali today
R Vaishali leads the tournament with 7/11 points after a Round 11 victory over Aleksandra Goryachkina yesterday, holding a one-point advantage over the chasing pack, which includes today’s opponent, Zhu Jiner.
April 12, 2026 17:34
Women's section pairings for today
Anna Muzychuk — Aleksandra Goryachkina
Vaishali Rameshbabu — Zhu Jiner
Divya Deshmukh — Tan Zhongyi
Bibisara Assaubayeva — Kateryna LagnoApril 12, 2026 17:34
Open section pairings for Round 12 today
Andrey Esipenko — Praggnanandhaa R
Matthias Bluebaum — Fabiano Caruana
Javokhir Sindarov — Hikaru Nakamura
Wei Yi — Anish GiriApril 12, 2026 17:33
It is Round 12 today
Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s coverage of the FIDE Candidates 2026 taking place in Cyprus.
Published on Apr 12, 2026
