Decisons | Behind the Scenes - Day 4

by Arne Kaehler
4/16/2026 – The ChessBase crew travels to Cyprus to cover the Candidates Tournament, bringing you daily impressions from one of the biggest events in chess. What is the atmosphere like around the world’s best players? How is the venue, and where do the stars spend their time? What happens behind the scenes in the media centre and beyond? And what is Cyprus like as a host for such a prestigious event? From travel moments and unexpected encounters to exclusive insights into the tournament environment, we take you along for the journey—day by day. Experience the Candidates from the inside.
EXPAND YOUR CHESS HORIZONS
Data, plans, practice – the new Opening Report In ChessBase there are always attempts to show the typical plans of an opening variation. In the age of engines, chess is much more concrete than previously thought. But amateurs in particular love openings with clear plans, see the London System. In ChessBase ’26, three functions deal with the display of plans. The new opening report examines which piece moves or pawn advances are significant for each important variation. In the reference search you can now see on the board where the pieces usually go. If you start the new Monte Carlo analysis, the board also shows the most common figure paths.

Sindarov stuns Cyprus 🇨🇾 | Behind the Scenes

Day 4

While the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus has already reached its conclusion with Javokhir Sindarov securing victory, the drama is far from over. On the final day, all eyes turn to the Women’s Candidates, where everything is still wide open. Vaishali and Assaubayeva lead by half a point, but remarkably, four other players still have a theoretical chance to pull off something extraordinary.

We take you once more into the playing hall, another raw, immersive experience as the world’s best players make their way inside. Focused, silent… and carrying some unexpected items. We counted five handbags, two jackets, a smoothie, a drink, and even a magical banana.

Outside the hall, the atmosphere is just as lively. We stop by Sagar Shah’s broadcast and chat with Sindarov’s second, Mukhiddin Madaminov, as the tension builds across the venue.

Fresh off his triumph, Sindarov meets the fans, signing boards, books, and taking time to answer questions in the fan zone, still processing one of the biggest moments of his career.

And then, the final twist.

Vaishali delivers. She wins her game.
Assaubayeva, meanwhile, can only draw against Divya Deshmukh.

Everything is decided.

Outside, the Rameshbabu family waits, and when Vaishali emerges, the moment says it all. Joy, relief, disbelief. A perfect ending.

This marks the final day for the ChessBase team in Cyprus.
Thank you for being part of this journey.

Links:

<< Vaishali beats Lagno, wins hard-fought Women's Candidates Tournament
The Winning Academy 44: Let's break some rules! >>
Topics: Candidates 2026, cyprus
Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.
Discussion and Feedback Submit your feedback to the editors

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4/14/2026 – The ChessBase crew travels to Cyprus to cover the Candidates Tournament, bringing you daily impressions from one of the biggest events in chess. What is the atmosphere like around the world’s best players? How is the venue, and where do the stars spend their time? What happens behind the scenes in the media centre and beyond? And what is Cyprus like as a host for such a prestigious event? From travel moments and unexpected encounters to exclusive insights into the tournament environment, we take you along for the journey—day by day. Experience the Candidates from the inside.

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60m English A practical repertoire against the scotch

For a long time the Scotch opening was considered harmless and rarely played. This changed in 1990 when Garry Kasparov successfully employed the Scotch opening in his World Championship match against Anatoly Karpov. But that was 25 years ago. Now, there is no need to panic if you want to play 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 and need a line against the Scotch. On this 60 Minutes renowned and successful coach Adrian Mikhalchishin gives simple practical tips how to neutralize and counter the Scotch.