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Sindarov and Vaishali Win the 2026 Candidates Tournaments
Javokhir Sindarov won the 2026 Candidates unbeaten with a record 10/14 to face Gukesh; Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women's Candidates to face Ju Wenjun.
The 2026 Candidates Tournaments, held from 28 March to 16 April in Pegeia, near Paphos in Cyprus, decided who would challenge for both world titles this year. Two first-time winners emerged: Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan in the open event, and Vaishali Rameshbabu of India in the women's.
The open Candidates: Sindarov runs away with it
Eight players met twice each - fourteen rounds - for the right to play world champion Gukesh Dommaraju. The field included former challenger Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Anish Giri, R Praggnanandhaa, Wei Yi, Matthias Blübaum and Andrey Esipenko.
Sindarov, the 20-year-old who had won the 2025 World Cup in Goa, started with three wins in his first four games, beating Praggnanandhaa and then his main rival Caruana in round 4. Wins over Nakamura (in round 5, after out-preparing him in the opening) and Wei Yi (round 6) followed. After six rounds he was 5½/6.
Giri ended the winning streak with a draw in round 7 and became the only player to keep up, beating Caruana in round 9 to move into second place. But Sindarov beat Praggnanandhaa a second time in round 10 to restore a two-point lead, and from there he steered the tournament home. A draw with Giri, with the black pieces, in round 13 clinched first place with a round to spare.
Final standings
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) | 10 |
| 2 | Anish Giri (Netherlands) | 8½ |
| 3 | Fabiano Caruana (USA) | 7½ |
| 4 | Wei Yi (China) | 7 |
| 5 | Hikaru Nakamura (USA) | 6½ |
| 6 | Matthias Blübaum (Germany) | 6 |
| 7 | R Praggnanandhaa (India) | 6 |
| 8 | Andrey Esipenko | 4½ |
Sindarov finished unbeaten, with six wins and eight draws. His 10 points beat the previous record for the double round-robin Candidates, Ian Nepomniachtchi's 9½ in 2022.
He now plays Gukesh for the world title in Geneva, starting on 24 November. Read our full guide to the match.
The Women's Candidates: Vaishali takes it in the last round
The Women's Candidates was played alongside the open event, with the same format. It went down to the final day.
Vaishali Rameshbabu - the older sister of Praggnanandhaa, who was playing in the open section in the same hall - went into the last round in a race with Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva. Vaishali beat Russia's Kateryna Lagno, after winning a pawn out of the opening with home preparation and converting it steadily. Assaubayeva drew with Divya Deshmukh, and Vaishali won the tournament by half a point.
Final standings
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vaishali Rameshbabu (India) | 8½ |
| 2 | Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) | 8 |
| 3-4 | Zhu Jiner (China) | 7½ |
| 3-4 | Aleksandra Goryachkina | 7½ |
| 5 | Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) | 7 |
| 6 | Kateryna Lagno | 6½ |
| 7-8 | Divya Deshmukh (India) | 5½ |
| 7-8 | Tan Zhongyi (China) | 5½ |
Vaishali earns a match against the reigning women's world champion, Ju Wenjun of China. The dates and venue had not been announced when this was written.
Why it matters
Both results reshape the chess world in a year when young players have taken over. Sindarov's win means the 2026 world championship is a match between two 20-year-olds, and Uzbekistan - which went on to win Olympiad gold in September (read about it) - now has a player fighting for the title for the first time.
For India, Vaishali's victory means an Indian player is in both world championship matches.
Sources: FIDE, Wikipedia: Candidates Tournament 2026.