Plus-four in five rounds

Javokhir Sindarov continues to impress at his first-ever participation in the Candidates Tournament. The 20-year-old secured his fourth win in five games by defeating top seed Hikaru Nakamura with the black pieces, maintaining a full-point lead over Fabiano Caruana.

With four wins and one draw, Sindarov now has 4½/5, while Caruana, who recovered from his loss to the leader in round four, kept pace by handing Matthias Bluebaum his first defeat of the event. Although nine rounds remain, the current standings suggest that the tournament could develop into a two-player contest. Caruana stands a full point ahead of the next group, with Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Anish Giri tied for third place on 2½/5.

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With much of the field already trailing the leader by a significant margin, the coming rounds may see increasingly ambitious and risky play, particularly in games involving Sindarov, given that only first place carries decisive significance in this event.

The next World Championship challenger? | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

Sindarov's performance stands out in the context of recent Candidates history. In each of the seven editions held since the return to the double round-robin format in 2013, the sole leader or co-leaders after five rounds had scored plus-two or 3½/5. In six out of seven cases, one of those players went on to win the tournament.

Leaders of previous editions after round 5 (all with 3½ points)

• London 2013 - Carlsen and Aronian shared the lead (Carlsen won the event)
• Khanty-Mansiysk 2014 - Karjakin was the sole leader (Anand won the event)
• Moscow 2016 - Karjakin was the sole leader (Karjakin won the event)
• Berlin 2018 - Caruana was the sole leader (Caruana won the event)
• Yekaterinburg 2020/21 - Nepomniachtchi was the sole leader (Nepo won the event)
• Madrid 2022 - Nepomniachtchi was the sole leader (Nepo won the event)
• Toronto 2024 - Gukesh and Nepo shared the lead (Gukesh won the event)

By contrast, Sindarov has reached 4½/5, surpassing that benchmark and placing himself in a notably strong position at this stage of the competition.

Following the first rest day, two of the four games ended without either side managing to create significant imbalances. The encounter between Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Andrey Esipenko concluded after 31 moves by triple repetition, while Anish Giri versus Wei Yi was a well-played 42-move game that also ended in a draw.

Round 5 results

Anish Giri v. Wei Yi | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

The two decisive games were strongly influenced by opening developments. In the game between Hikaru Nakamura and Javokhir Sindarov, Nakamura chose the Marshall Gambit arising from the Queen's Gambit Declined, sacrificing two pawns early in the opening.

However, the multiple US champion found himself out of preparation after Sindarov's 12…0-0

Nakamura spent 1 hour and 7 minutes before responding with 13.h4?!, whereas 13.Ne4 was considered the more accurate continuation.

Sindarov proceeded with a logical plan, maintaining a clear advantage as the game progressed. Nakamura's position soon collapsed, and Sindarov converted his edge with composure. After the game, Nakamura explained that his team had not analysed 12…0-0, a significant oversight given the natural character of the move, even if it is not the engine's top recommendation.

Video analysis by GM Daniel King

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Body language says it all | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

In the other decisive encounter, Fabiano Caruana adopted an aggressive approach against Bluebaum's Petroff Defence, advancing early with f2–f4.

Bluebaum's choice of 14…Re8?!, rather than the more straightforward 14…Nxd2 which would have simplified the position against a sharp setup, proved questionable.

Caruana continued to expand on the kingside, steadily increasing the pressure, while Black's attempts to generate counterplay against White's king on the queenside led nowhere. Caruana converted his advantage without major difficulty, and the game concluded with Bluebaum allowing checkmate to appear on the board - a very rare outcome in elite-level play.

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Fabiano Caruana | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Matthias Bluebaum was very critical of his play during the post-game press conference | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

Standings after round 5

All games

• Official website: candidates2026.fide.com
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