"VAN" (Sports Desk - 08.04.2026) :: Reinvigorated after the second rest day, the sixteen contenders returned to the playing hall for the first of seven rounds in the second half of the event. Playing with Black, FIDE Candidates tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov held his opponent to a draw this afternoon.
Combined with Fabiano Caruana’s loss against Hikaru Nakamura, the result leaves Sindarov two full points clear of the field. Meanwhile, Anish Giri narrowed the gap by defeating Praggnanandhaa R in a finely played technical game.
In the FIDE Women’s Candidates, Anna Muzychuk lost to Divya Deshmukh, leaving five players tied for the lead and the tournament wide open. Three decisive outcomes in Round 8 highlight the remarkable balance and competitiveness of the women’s field.
Let’s take a closer look at the action this afternoon in the Cap St. Georges Hotel & Resort in Cyprus.
David Luiz, player of Pafos FC and former player for the Brazil national team, Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG, UEFA Champions League winner, made the ceremonial first move in the game between Andrey Esipenko and Javokhir Sindarov, while Moshe Slav, FIDE Delegate representing Israel and member of the European Chess Union Board opened the Muzychuk vs Divya game.
Even before the key game of the round began, commentator GM Peter Svidler predicted that Andrey Episenko would push for a win against tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov. “He can’t fight for first place, obviously, but he will still want to do something—what could be more memorable than beating the runaway leader?”
As usual, Sindarov blitzed out his moves in a main-line Catalan, building up more than a 30-minute advantage on the clock. “I prepared very well. I expected a Catalan and a long game, and after the opening I reached a position from my preparation,” he explained afterward. On move 20, he made a well-judged pawn sacrifice to seize complete control of the light squares. “I understood that if I didn’t sacrifice a pawn, I would be slightly worse.”
Andrey Episenko spent nearly half an hour searching for a better continuation but ultimately found nothing more than a threefold repetition – an evaluation even the engines confirm.
Meanwhile, on the other board, the tournament pursuers were in need of points. Hikaru Nakamura has traditionally enjoyed a strong record against Fabiano Caruana, but he has not been performing at his usual level in Cyprus. Still, in his recaps he continues to stress a “game-by-game” approach, ready to seize any opportunity that arises.
This afternoon, his opening preparation paid off. “I played this same line against Oparin, Caruana’s second!” noted Jan Gustafsson during the live broadcast. Caruana soon found himself significantly behind on the clock, down nearly an hour.
Nonetheless, Fabiano’s solid play kept him well in the game, as he gradually simplified into a double-rook endgame, positions that are notoriously tricky to handle.
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