 "After beating R Praggnanandhaa, Javokhir Sindarov recounted how the Indian Grandmaster use to dominate him in junior events. Image: Fide")
R Praggnanandhaa squandered a golden opportunity in Round 3 of the ongoing Fide Candidates 2026 in Cyprus as he dropped out of the leaders’ position after a crushing defeat to Javokhir Sindarov under time pressure. Praggnanandhaa was in joint lead with 1.5/3 points from the first two games, but the Indian 20-year-old Grandmaster is now in joint second, while Sindarov and Fabiano Caruana lead with 2.5 points each.
Playing with White pieces against the 2025 Fide World Cup winner of Uzbekistan, Praggnanandhaa would have hoped to clinch his second victory in the chess tournament after beating Anish Giri in the first round. But a couple of blunders and poor time management spoiled his day .
Sindarov relieved to beat Praggnanandhaa
Playing with White in a Queen’s Gambit Declined, Praggnanandhaa navigated the middlegame complications pretty well despite Sindarov sacrificing his knight and playing 13.Nxb4 axb4 14. Bxb4.
The position remained roughly equal until move 34, when 34.Qb3+ proved to be the decisive mistake under time trouble. Sindarov immediately seized the initiative with the tactical shot 35…Rxc2+!, opening up the white king and launching a decisive attack.
With his pieces suddenly coordinated and active, the Uzbek grandmaster quickly converted the advantage, forcing material losses and eventually sealing a 0–1 victory.
Praggnanandhaa vs Sindarov match:
“Praggnanandhaa is a very strong player. He defeated me a lot in my young days. In junior events, our score used to be like 3-0, 4-0, 4-1. This game was very tricky, and I was lucky to have an easier position in time trouble,” Sindarov said after beating the Indian Grandmaster.
Praggnanandhaa will face Matthias Bluebaum in Round 4 of the Fide Candidates 2026 on Wednesday. Bluebaum has drawn all three of his games so far.
The winner of the Candidates chess tournament will challenge D Gukesh for the world title in the World Chess Championship later this year.