Javokhir Sindarov has significantly strengthened his position in the Candidates 2026 tournament, extending his lead over second place to two points after a pivotal round 8. The Uzbek grandmaster's pragmatic approach, coupled with Fabiano Caruana's unexpected defeat to Hikaru Nakamura, has brought Sindarov closer to securing a spot in the 2026 world chess championship final.

After an explosive initial stage where he scored six points from seven games, Sindarov adopted a more practical approach for the second half of the tournament. In his game against Andrey Esipenko on 7/4 in Pegeia, Cyprus, the 20-year-old Uzbek player opted for a safe strategy, quickly steering the game into a balanced position and agreeing to a draw after just 24 moves. This result, combined with developments on other boards, proved to be a valuable step towards his championship goal.

A rare incident occurred on 7/4 when Sindarov's opening analyses were accidentally made public online. However, the 20-year-old seemed unconcerned, stating that the issue was minor as many variations had been prepared long ago and were no longer in frequent use.

Javokhir Sindarov during his game against Andrey Esipenko in round 8 of the Candidates 2026 in Pegeia, Cyprus, on 7/4. Photo: FIDE

The outcomes of other games further enhanced the value of Sindarov's draw. On board two, Hikaru Nakamura secured his first win of the tournament by defeating Fabiano Caruana with white pieces in a game that proved to be a turning point. Unlike previous rounds, Nakamura gained a clear advantage early on, thanks to superior preparation. He calculated little for the first 18 moves, gradually building pressure in what initially appeared to be a balanced position, before Caruana fell into a passive state due to time constraints.

The decisive mistake came on move 28...h5?, as the US player lacked sufficient time for precise calculations. From that point, Caruana's position quickly crumbled, allowing Nakamura to enter the endgame with a two-pawn advantage. This result caused Caruana's performance to drop to a +1 score (one more win than loss).

Nakamura (left) defeats Caruana to reclaim the world number two position. Photo: FIDE

Meanwhile, Anish Giri capitalized on the opportunity to catch up with Caruana in points, defeating Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in a high-quality game. The Dutch player showcased impressive opening preparation with the novel 10.a4, putting his opponent in a difficult situation early on. Despite Praggnanandhaa's resilient defense, which brought him close to saving the game during the overtime phase, he failed to find the precise move at a crucial moment. Giri then seized the opportunity to finish the game, completing his revenge after a defeat in the initial stage.

On the remaining board, Wei Yi could not extend his winning streak, drawing against Matthias Bluebaum. Although the Chinese player created a complex position, even sacrificing a rook in search of opportunities, Bluebaum defended solidly to secure his seventh draw of the tournament.

After eight rounds, Sindarov leads with 6.5 points, a two-point advantage over the chasing pack, which includes Caruana and Giri. If the 20-year-old player were to draw all six remaining games, Caruana or Giri would still need to secure five out of six maximum points to match Sindarov's performance. In round nine, the spotlight will be on the clash between Caruana and Giri. The winner of this matchup will keep their hopes of catching Sindarov alive, while a defeat would virtually end their chances. Sindarov, holding the black pieces, will face Bluebaum, aiming to maintain his current lead.

In the women's section, the landscape shifted significantly after round eight, with Divya Deshmukh creating the biggest surprise of the day. The Indian player defeated Anna Muzychuk despite being in a losing position, making the race even more unpredictable. Concurrently, Zhu Jiner and Kateryna Lagno also secured victories against Tan Zhongyi and Aleksandra Goryachkina, respectively. Vaishali Rameshbabu drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva in the only undecided game. After eight rounds, five players are tied for the lead with 4.5 points.

The Candidates tournament is the most crucial event in the elite chess cycle, where eight players compete in a double round-robin format to select challengers for current world champions Gukesh Dommaraju and Ju Wenjun. Given Sindarov's current form, the chess world could witness a world championship final between two players with an average age of just 20.

Summary by Xuan Binh