New Delhi: Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov continued his commanding run in the Candidates chess tournament, defeating India’s R Praggnanandhaa in the 10th round to stretch his lead at the top of the standings. With this victory, Sindarov moved to eight points, opening up a significant two point advantage over the field.
The win marked his sixth of the tournament and his second triumph over Praggnanandhaa, who now finds himself out of title contention with four points after suffering his third loss. Sindarov’s precise preparation and aggressive approach proved decisive, as he capitalised on a complex middle game to secure a convincing result.
Closest to the leader is Anish Giri of the Netherlands on six points, following a draw with Hikaru Nakamura. Other key matches saw Fabiano Caruana held to a draw by Wei Yi, while Andrey Esipenko and Matthias Bluebaum also shared the points.
In the women’s section, India’s R Vaishali delivered another steady performance, drawing her game to take sole lead with six points. She now sits ahead of Anna Muzychuk and Jiner Zhu, who are tied at 5.5 points.
Elsewhere, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured a crucial win to join a chasing pack that includes Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina, all on five points. India’s Divya Deshmukh slipped after a loss in the endgame.
With four rounds remaining, the tournament is entering a निर्णायक phase. While Sindarov appears firmly in control of the open section, the women’s category remains wide open, setting up an exciting finish.
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