{"id":11565,"date":"2026-04-12T07:13:30","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T00:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=11565"},"modified":"2026-04-12T07:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T00:13:31","slug":"sindarov-preserves-lead-as-vaishali-takes-command","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/sindarov-preserves-lead-as-vaishali-takes-command\/","title":{"rendered":"Sindarov preserves lead as Vaishali takes command"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Javokhir Sindarov continued to dominate the FIDE Candidates after Round 11, where all games ended in draws. With only three rounds remaining, he holds a healthy two-point lead. If Sindarov maintains stability, he\u2019s in an excellent position to win the tournament and secure a shot at the world title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the women\u2019s section, Vaishali Rameshbabu scored a crucial win with the black pieces over Aleksandra Goryachkina, moving a full point ahead of the field and taking clear control heading into the final rounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the game between Fabiano Caruana and Sindarov, Caruana essayed a relatively new idea \u2013 11.Be3 in the mainstream Catalan Opening \u2013 a move that has already been played a couple of times by Nihal Sarin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t really prepare for the last two games; I just played something safe. But then I got a bit of pressure and some serious winning chances at one point,\u201d Caruana explained after the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea involves a pawn sacrifice in exchange for long-term compensation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sindarov, however, defended excellently, returning the pawn at the precise moment and securing an important draw for his tournament chances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI tried to make an impact in the tournament, but he defended very well,\u201d Caruana concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other three games also ended in draws, although there were missed opportunities along the way. The game between Hikaru Nakamura and Wei Yi was a solid encounter, with both players blitzing out the classical mainline of the Catalan Opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sensing that his opponent was deeply prepared, Nakamura opted to force a threefold repetition at an early stage, though not before spending nearly forty minutes weighing his options. In his post-game interview, Nakamura explained his decision-making process and also shared some thoughts on his upcoming clash with the tournament leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an attempt to catch the leader, Anish Giri tried to improve on a previous game by Andrey Esipenko earlier in the tournament, opting for 11.Qa4 instead of 11.Rc1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esipenko had already equalized comfortably in that earlier encounter, and interestingly, the same move had also appeared in game fourteen of the Fischer\u2013Spassky World Championship match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, trying to outplay Esipenko in an isolated pawn\u2013minor piece endgame is a notoriously difficult task. His defensive technique was once again impeccable, and Giri was unable to generate any real winning chances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A draw was agreed on move 43, a result that can be considered a model example of defensive play in this type of structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The player who will likely regret the afternoon most is no doubt Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who reached a winning position against Matthias Bluebaum but ultimately failed to convert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Praggnanandhaa had already missed a strong continuation a few moves earlier, but with only five minutes left for six moves, the critical moment arose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He played 34.Qf3, activating his queen with threats against f7. However, after 34\u2026d4!, Black\u2019s coordination suddenly held everything together; the queen on b3 defends f7, and the initiative faded, allowing the game to simplify into a draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, the decisive continuation was: 34.Rxf7! with strong attacking ideas, including the threat of 35.Qxg5 and mating patterns on g7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key line continues: 34\u2026Rxe5 35.Qa7!! Bd3 (covering h7) 36.Rxg7+ Kh8 37.Rc7 (or 37.Rf7) with decisive threats such as 38.Rc8 and 38.Qd4, leading to a winning attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates, Vaishali took a major step toward winning the tournament by defeating Aleksandra Goryachkina with the Black pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In their game featuring a London System, Vaishali equalised comfortably, and the position was heading toward a draw when Goryachkina missed a crucial tactical resource spotted by her opponent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Most moves would have preserved equality (one of them is 30. a4), but 30.Be2\u2013c4?? proved to be the decisive mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under time pressure, Goryachkina failed to notice that her rook was becoming dangerously trapped. After 30\u2026Bc6!, White had no way to prevent \u2026Nd7, which would win the trapped rook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goryachkina tried 31.Rxc5, but after 31\u2026b6, she was forced to give up the exchange and resigned a few moves later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other three games also ended in draws. Kateryna Lagno and Anna Muzychuk have played many games against each other, with Muzychuk holding a slight plus score in their head-to-head. This time, Anna switched from the Gr\u00fcnfeld Defence to a Queen\u2019s Indian \/ Bogo-Indian hybrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the position out of the opening was slightly more pleasant for White, Muzychuk held the balance comfortably, finishing with an impressive 98% accuracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The game between Zhu Jiner and Divya Deshmukh was also very well played by both sides. Zhu Jiner spent a long time in the opening in a Maroczy Bind sideline against the Sicilian, but Divya had clearly done her preparation and played quickly, reaching a slightly inferior but fully defendable position. She even had a small chance to press in the endgame, but the game ultimately petered out into a draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tan Zhongyi came closest to scoring a full point against Bibisara Assaubayeva. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zhongyi has been having a difficult tournament so far, with three losses and no wins. In this game, she arrived well-prepared, played confidently, and put her opponent under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, just when a draw in the rook endgame should have (and ultimately did) arise, Assaubayeva made a single inaccuracy that briefly allowed winning chances. Unfortunately for Zhongyi, those chances were not converted, and the game still ended in a draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Standings after Round 11<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Javokhir Sindarov continued to dominate the FIDE Candidates after Round 11, where all games ended in draws. With<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11566,"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],"class_list":["post-11565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-chess"],"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