Fabiano Caruana concluded the fastest game of round three on 31/3, defeating Wei Yi in just 19 moves and over two hours of play. Despite playing with the white pieces, the American grandmaster did not have a smooth start. He admitted in the press conference that he was "tricked by the move order" and fell into a position outside his preparation. After 14 moves, Caruana was even 50 minutes behind his opponent on the clock.

Fabiano Caruana (left) during his victory over Wei Yi in round three of the Candidates 2026 in Pegeia, Cyprus, on 31/3. Photo: FIDE

The Chinese player actively sacrificed two pawns to gain the initiative, preventing his opponent from castling. However, Caruana maintained his composure, steering the game towards a safe position. The turning point came with move 16...Rc5 and especially Wei's serious error 17...Ne5. In just two moves, the position completely collapsed, forcing him to resign shortly after.

Caruana admitted he did not expect his opponent to make such a significant error, as Wei is known for his stability. This victory gave the American grandmaster 2,5 points after three rounds and pushed his live Elo rating back above 2800, for the first time since 2/2025. In head-to-head encounters, Caruana also dominates, having won four games without a single loss against Wei.

While Caruana's game ended quickly, Javokhir Sindarov's victory over Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa was the most intense and risky battle of the round. Playing with the black pieces in the Harrwitz variation of the queen's gambit declined, the Uzbekistan grandmaster surprised many by sacrificing a knight early in the middlegame with move 13...Nxb4, exchanging it for two pawns and a complex position.

Sindarov explained that without taking such a risk, he might have been slowly stifled by his opponent. This decision led to a tense game where Black was down a piece but had attacking chances against the king.

Sindarov (right) shakes hands with Praggnanandhaa after his victory. Photo: FIDE

The chaotic position continued into the middlegame, with Praggnanandhaa constantly trying to defend his king in the center and then on the queenside. Under time pressure, Sindarov showed greater resolve. After the Indian grandmaster's error 33.c5?, the Uzbekistan player realized he had a clear winning advantage. "I thought I could do something with the little time I had, and it worked", Sindarov said.

In the endgame, Praggnanandhaa needed to make many precise moves within minutes, but the task proved too difficult. Sindarov fully capitalized on his advantage, concluding the game with a victory. The match between the two young grandmasters was considered the best of the round.

In the two other games, Hikaru Nakamura drew with Anish Giri in a highly accurate game with almost no significant errors. Meanwhile, Matthias Bluebaum and Andrey Esipenko also shared points after their positions gradually simplified.

After three rounds, Caruana and Sindarov both lead with 2,5 points, a full point ahead of the chasing group. The remaining players are divided into two groups: Praggnanandhaa and Bluebaum with 1,5 points, and the rest with one point, indicating an early differentiation in the standings. In round four, the two leaders will face each other directly, with Sindarov playing white.

In the women's section, round three saw explosive developments after the first two rounds featured all draws. Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Zhu Jiner in a complex game, despite falling into a difficult position after the opening. The Kazakhstan grandmaster capitalized on her opponent's tactical error to win her first game at the Candidates.

Meanwhile, Kateryna Lagno defeated Tan Zhongyi in a dramatic game with continuous reversals of fortune. Lagno admitted feeling fortunate that her opponent made a mistake at a crucial moment, creating an opportunity for a decisive and beautiful knight and queen sacrifice.

In the remaining games, Aleksandra Goryachkina drew with Divya Deshmukh after 81 moves despite holding a significant advantage, while Vaishali Rameshbabu shared points with Anna Muzychuk in a less eventful game.

At the end of round three, Assaubayeva and Lagno jointly lead the women's section, with the Chinese players trailing behind.

The Candidates tournament is the most important event in the chess cycle, where eight players compete in a double round-robin format to determine the challenger for the reigning world champions: Gukesh Dommaraju in the open section and Ju Wenjun in the women's section. However, the tournament lacks some appeal because the men's world number one, Magnus Carlsen, and the women's world number one, Hou Yifan, are not participating.

By Xuan Binh