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The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is getting more exciting with every round. In Round 5, Javokhir Sindarov continued his brilliant form, while Fabiano Caruana stayed close behind. Meanwhile, the Women’s Candidates saw major changes at the top.

Let’s break it down in simple terms.

Sindarov Defeats Nakamura in a Big Clash

The biggest game of the day featured Hikaru Nakamura vs Javokhir Sindarov. Nakamura played aggressively with the White pieces. He sacrificed pawns to create an attack. However, Sindarov was fully prepared.

Sindarov stayed calm under pressure
He defended accurately
He slowly turned the game in his favor

In the end, Sindarov converted the position into a winning endgame. After this win, Sindarov reached an impressive +4 score in just 5 rounds.

He said:

“I prepared well and I am playing in good form.”

Caruana Wins and Stays in the Race

Fabiano Caruana needed a win—and he delivered. He faced Matthias Bluebaum and chose a rare line in the Petroff Defence. This helped him surprise his opponent.

Caruana got a strong position early
He kept constant pressure
Bluebaum struggled and made mistakes

Caruana won convincingly and stayed close to the tournament leader.

Other Games End in Draws

Two games ended without a winner:

R Praggnanandhaa vs Andrey Esipenko
A calm and solid game. It ended in a draw by repetition.
Wei Yi vs Anish Giri
Wei Yi tried a new idea in the opening and sacrificed a pawn.
However, Giri handled it well, and the game ended in a draw.

Women’s Candidates: Fight for First Place Intensifies

The FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026 is now very close. Three players are tied for first place after this round.

Lagno Beats Leader Assaubayeva

Kateryna Lagno defeated Bibisara Assaubayeva in an important game.

Assaubayeva made a risky decision in the opening
She sacrificed material for attack
Lagno defended well and used her advantage

This win brings Lagno back into the title race.

Zhu Jiner Joins the Leaders

Zhu Jiner played a brilliant game against R Vaishali.

She handled the Italian Opening perfectly
She improved her position step by step
Her pawn structure became very strong

Vaishali was under pressure for a long time and could not hold the position. Zhu Jiner now shares the top spot.

Remaining Games

Anna Muzychuk vs Aleksandra Goryachkina ended in a calm draw
Tan Zhongyi vs Divya Deshmukh was a long battle but also ended in a draw

Divya showed excellent defense with very high accuracy.

Fan Zone Activities

The event is not just about games. Fans are also enjoying many activities:

A 22-board simultaneous exhibition by Pavel Tregubov
A lecture on Paul Morphy and Mikhail Tal
Autographs and photos with top players

This makes the tournament exciting for both players and fans.

What’s Next?

Round 6 promises more action with key matchups:

Open Candidates

Fabiano Caruana vs Andrey Esipenko
Hikaru Nakamura vs R Praggnanandhaa
Anish Giri vs Matthias Bluebaum
Wei Yi vs Javokhir Sindarov