Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa suffered a setback in his FIDE Candidates tournament campaign when he went down to Javokhir Sindarov in the third round on Tuesday.
After the defeat, which came with the white pieces, Praggnanandhaa dropped to third place in the table after sharing the lead at the end of the 2nd round. He now has 1.5 points from three games, with the momentum shifting briefly after a strong start to the tournament.
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Praggnanandhaa started his campaign in impressive fashion when he defeated Anish Giri in the opening round and immediately established himself among the frontrunners. He followed this up with a balanced draw for Black against Wei Yi in Round 2, where he exerted constant pressure from the French defense before the game swung into the opposite suit’s marksmen’s endgame. Despite having a slight advantage with the extra pawn, Praggnanandhaa could not make further breakthroughs as the players agreed to a draw after 46 moves.
This result kept him in the joint lead after two rounds, underscoring his control and consistency early in the tournament.
However, the loss to Sindarov marks the first significant crack in this process.
AGRRESE PRAGG BACK
Facing Queen’s Gambit Declined, Praggnanandhaa appeared on the course for even position early on. The game could have been headed for a draw but he decided to press, a decision that complicated the position.
Sindarov, who has emerged as one of the more aggressive players on the circuit, responded by sacrificing material in the middle game to break the position. The initiative soon shifted and Praggnanandhaa found himself on the back foot.
A series of inaccuracies in the later stages of the middle game added to the pressure, ultimately leading to a loss that could prove costly in a heavily loaded field.
Sindarov was joined at the top by Fabiano Caruana with 2.5 points after defeating Wei Yi in a tightly contested game that ended in just 19 moves. The American took advantage of an early slip in preparation to take control and quickly close out the contest.
Behind the joint leaders are a group of players including Hikaru Nakamura, Matthias Bluebaum, Andrea Esipenko and Giri, while Wei Yi remains half a point down.
The eight-man doubles tournament still has 11 rounds to go, so there’s plenty of time for changes in pace.
Praggnanandhaa’s immediate task will be to recover quickly and regain his footing on a field where consistency matters as much as individual victories.
The Candidates winner will earn the right to challenge reigning World Champion D Gukesh later this year.
– The end
Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
1 Apr 2026 09:59 IST
