R Praggnanandhaa vs Anish Giri (photo by Michal Walusza) NEW DELHI: The opening day of the FIDE Candidates 2026 at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Paphos, Cyprus proved that while chess doctrine often predicts a draw when both sides play perfectly, the reality on the board can be much more volatile. Of the eight games across the Open and Women categories, only three produced decisive results, all in the Open section, spearheaded by a tactical masterclass from India’s R Praggnanandhaa.The first blood of the day was drawn by Uzbekistan’s FIDE 2025 World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov, who defeated Russia’s Andrei Esipenko. Elsewhere, in a marathon American derby, Fabiano Caruana edged Hikaru Nakamura in the longest match of Sunday.But the spotlight belonged to Chennai-born Praggnanandha, who dismantled Dutch No.1 Anish Giri with clinical precision to signal an impressive start to his campaign.
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Exclusive Nihal Sarin: 2026 Candidates Predictions, Anish Giri’s ‘Drawish’ Label & More #chess In the women’s section, caution was the order of the day as all four games ended in draws. Russia’s CEO Aleksandra Gorjachkina came closest to a breakthrough against compatriot Kateryna Lagna before an error in the middle game forced a break point.Divya Deshmukh and Rameshbabu Vaishali held their own on the Indian boards with the white pieces against Anna Muzychuk and Bibisara Assaubayeva, ensuring that the Indian contingent remained unbeaten.FIDE Candidates Round 1 Results – March 29, 2026Fabiano Caruana 1-0 Hikaru NakamuraPraggnanandhaa R 1-0 Anish GiriJavokhir Sindarov 1-0 Andrey EspipenkoMatthias Bluebaum 0.5-0.5 Wei YiResults of the 1st round of FIDE Women’s Candidates – March 29, 2026Divya Deshmukh 0.5-0.5 Anna MuzychukVaishali Rameshbabu 0.5-0.5 Bibisara AssaubayevaAleksandra Goryachkina 0.5-0.5 Kateryna LagnoZhu Jiner 0.5-0.5 Tan ZhongyiMatch of the Day: R Praggnanandhaa vs Anish GiriWhile the Nakamura-Caruana clash was the longest of the day, chess purists found more to admire in the very precise battle between Praggnanandhaa and Giri.“With the right move 80…Kc7!, Hikaru could have actually tied the game,” veteran GM Pravin Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com. “So it can no longer be called the best game of the day. It is undoubtedly Praggnamandhaa vs Giri. The accuracy level is very high.”Praggnanandhaa opened with a king-pawn and met Giri’s Sicilian defense with an aggressive Grand Prix attack. The 20-year-old Indian made a deep preparation, sacrificing a pawn on move 10 before unleashing a decisive maneuver on move 11.“Praggnanandhaa played a Grand Prix attack and on move 11 Praggnanandhaa played interestingly. On move 10 Praggnanandhaa sacrificed a pawn and on move 11 he improved his queen,” explained Thipsay. “Anish Giri’s best variation, probably on move 11, would have resulted in roughly the same position, but a slight error on move 11 by Anish allowed Praggnanandha to gain a slight advantage, which he took home with very good technical play from move 12 itself.”Giri’s response, 11…Be6, allowed Praggnanandhaa to capture the white-squared bishop (13. Bxe6), tilting the structural advantage in the Indian’s favor.Although the queens were exchanged on move 25, the ending was a nightmare for the Dutchman. The final blow came on move 36 when Giri played 36…Nf6. Working with pawns from a- and ab could have offered a stronger defense, but Giri’s uncharacteristic oversight allowed Praggnanandha’s rook and h-pawn to tighten the loop.Giri retired on move 51.“Praggnanandhaa’s technique in this game was excellent,” added Thipsay. Praggnanandhaa completed the game with a staggering 97.3% accuracy compared to Giri’s 92.5%, proving that he is the best margin decider at this level.The Indian sensation will look to carry that momentum into Monday’s second round, where he will face China’s Wei Yi.FIDE Program of Candidates for Round 2 – March 30, 2026Andrey Esipenko vs Hikaru NakamuraAnish Giri vs Fabiano CaruanaWei Yi vs R practiceJavokhir Sindarov vs Matthias BlubaumSchedule of FIDE 2nd round candidates – March 30, 2026Anna Muzychuk vs Tan ZhongyiKateryna Lagno vs Zhu JinerBibisara Assaubayeva vs Aleksandra GoryachkinaDivya Deshmukh vs Vaishali Rameshbabu
