{"id":11146,"date":"2026-04-02T08:36:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=11146"},"modified":"2026-04-02T08:36:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T01:36:51","slug":"javokhir-sindarov-records-third-win-as-anna-muzychuk-moves-into-joint-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/javokhir-sindarov-records-third-win-as-anna-muzychuk-moves-into-joint-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Javokhir Sindarov records third win as Anna Muzychuk moves into joint lead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Javokhir Sindarov scored his third win of the tournament in Cyprus, taking a major step toward winning the FIDE Candidates after defeating Fabiano Caruana with impressive opening preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates, Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk regained momentum with important victories. Muzychuk now shares the tournament lead with Bibisara Assaubayeva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game between the two tournament leaders was, as expected, the highlight of the round. Playing with the black pieces, Fabiano Caruana opted for the solid Queen\u2019s Gambit Accepted, but was caught off guard by Javokhir Sindarov\u2019s move order and emerged from the opening with a slightly inferior position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing at a brisk pace \u2013 Sindarov notably spending much of his time pacing along the playing hall \u2013 the Uzbek prodigy confidently followed his home preparation, quickly building a significant advantage on the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The critical moment came on move 17, when Caruana played 17\u2026f5. Reflecting in the post-game press conference, Sindarov explained: \u201cI remembered that in my opening files the pawn on d4 had to be taken, but I wasn\u2019t sure about the exact lines. After 18.Bc4, Black\u2019s position is already very unpleasant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By around move 20, Caruana was already under serious pressure. \u201cI kind of got caught in the opening with 16\u2026Rg8, and I went wrong,\u201d he admitted. Commentator Jan Gustafsson added: \u201cHe is in serious time trouble and also has a bad position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sindarov continued energetically, converting his advantage with a direct attacking approach. He expressed satisfaction with his play afterward: \u201cMaybe I made some mistakes in the middlegame, I\u2019m not sure, but I think I played a very good game. I was lucky to get this opening,\u201d he said, before leaving to sign autographs for the many fans in attendance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his game against Anish Giri, Andrey Esipenko adopted an uncompromising approach, choosing a secondary line against the Najdorf Sicilian, perhaps in an attempt to catch his opponent off guard. However, Giri proved well prepared and responded with an ambitious king march across the board following Esipenko\u2019s striking 10.Nf5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the commentary booth, Peter Svidler praised the concept: \u201cEsipenko is using the geometry of the board to continue the attack.\u201d Giri later explained the idea behind his opening choice: \u201cBlack has a million ways to handle this line, but I was hoping no opponent would think I am bold enough to go for this variation. My king is in greater danger, but I have some long-term assets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Esipenko appeared to be playing in the right spirit, he went astray with 18.Qxd3. Instead, 18.Rxd3 would have preserved dynamic chances and likely led to a more balanced position with attacking possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on this moment, Esipenko was candid: \u201cI saw 18\u2026Ba4, but I thought I would find something, as 18.Qd3 looks more logical than 18.Rd3. I didn\u2019t think it was a critical moment, and I was surprised that I couldn\u2019t find anything afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giri did not take long to consolidate his advantage and ultimately converted with his extra material. He expressed satisfaction after the game: \u201cI am happy to win today and to reach 50% after four rounds\u2013lately I haven\u2019t been starting very well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contrast in Hikaru Nakamura\u2019s time management is striking: a player renowned for completing high-accuracy games in a matter of minutes spent nearly forty-five minutes on the opening phase. The game against Wei Yi ultimately featured the offbeat Dragondorf Sicilian, a variation that neither player likely anticipated in their pre-game preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nakamura appeared satisfied with the outcome of the opening, obtaining a sound position with the black pieces while maintaining a time advantage heading into the middlegame. The game remained relatively balanced until the critical moment on move 40, when Wei Yi committed what could have been a decisive error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Nakamura was unable to find the most precise continuation in a double-rook endgame despite being a pawn up, allowing the game to eventually simplify into a draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his post-game interview with Charlize van Zyl, Nakamura reflected on the missed opportunity: \u201cIt was a very interesting game. I took some liberties in the opening, and around the time control it should have been a draw, but it seems that there was a winning opportunity which I missed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth game of the round was a solid and uneventful affair. Playing with the black pieces, R Praggnanandhaa opted for the reliable Semi-Slav Defence, which soon transposed into an isolated queen\u2019s pawn structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthias Bluebaum responded by simplifying along the c-file, initiating a series of exchanges. Although he carried the bishop pair into the endgame, Praggnanandhaa\u2019s well-placed knight on e4 ensured that the position remained comfortably balanced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following further simplifications, the players agreed to a draw by threefold repetition on move 37.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Women\u2019s Candidates, two games ended decisively. Anna Muzychuk defeated Kateryna Lagno in a finely played positional game that ultimately culminated in tactical complications. \u201cI chose this line to avoid some concrete variations,\u201d Muzychuk explained after the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lagno defended resourcefully under pressure for much of the encounter but faltered on move 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At this point, Muzychuk had sacrificed a piece for two pawns and a strong initiative. Lagno could have opted to exchange queens, entering a slightly worse but defensible endgame, even if it required returning the extra material. Instead, she chose to continue with 28\u2026exd4, after which 29.Qxd4 left White with a decisive attack, and the game concluded just three moves later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other decisive result saw Zhu Jiner prevail with the black pieces over Divya Deshmukh \u2013 an important victory that keeps her within reach of the tournament leaders. It is difficult to pinpoint a single decisive mistake, but Divya\u2019s position gradually deteriorated from the opening onward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such setbacks are not uncommon, and she will look to recover in the coming rounds. Zhu, on the other hand, expressed satisfaction with her performance, noting: \u201cMaybe all my preparation came onto the board, and I think I have been playing well despite the results.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standings after Round 4<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Round 5 pairings \u2013 FIDE Candidates Tournament:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Praggnanandhaa R \u2013 Andrey Esipenko
Fabiano Caruana \u2013 Matthias Bluebaum
Hikaru Nakamura \u2013 Javokhir Sindarov
Anish Giri \u2013 Wei Yi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Round 5 pairings \u2013 FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates Tournament:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aleksandra Goryachkina \u2013 Anna Muzychuk
Zhu Jiner \u2013 Vaishali Rameshbabu
Tan Zhongyi \u2013 Divya Deshmukh
Kateryna Lagno \u2013 Bibisara Assaubayeva<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Javokhir Sindarov scored his third win of the tournament in Cyprus, taking a major step toward winning the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[39,384],"class_list":["post-11146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-chess","tag-fide"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t