FIDE Candidates 2026 Round 1 results: Check latest standings in open, women's section after opening day

R Praggnanandhaa, Fabiano Caruana and Javokhir Sindarov emerged as the three winners on the opening day of FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 as the event started with a bang at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Cyprus.

The open section saw three stars clinch a point each to take early lead in the tournament while the women’s section witnessed draws in all four of its matches. It means that Praggnanandhaa is in joint lead while Indian women, Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali, are level on terms with all other competitors in their category.

FIDE Candidates Day 1 Results

Caruana defeated world number two Hikaru Nakamura to start the tournament on a high. He took advantage in the latter stages of the game and ultimately Nakamura had to concede after a valiant defence.

Praggnanandhaa surprised Giri with a ‘Grand Prix Attack’ and the Dutch Grandmaster could not find a way out. Praggnanandhaa thus earned an outright win to take one point and boost his confidence for the upcoming stages.

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Sindarov was the other winner with white as he put Esipenko under pressure and ultimately the Russian Grandmaster could not cope well. The match between Matthias Bluebaum and Wei Yi ended in a draw.

In the women’s section, all players split points. Aleksandra Goryachkina was the one who came closest to a win but missed the opportunity and had to settle for a draw.

Standings | After Round 1 | FIDE Candidates & Women's Candidates 2026

🇺🇿 Javokhir Sindarov, 🇺🇸 Fabiano Caruana, and 🇮🇳 Praggnanandhaa R share the lead after the first round.#FIDECandidates #Chess #FIDE #Cyprus pic.twitter.com/9hKPnFkzME

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) March 29, 2026

FIDE Candidates: Standings after Round 1

1-3: Caruana, Praggnanandhaa, Sindarov – 1 point
4-5: Bluebaum, Wei Yi – 0.5 points
1-3: Esipenko, Giri, Nakamura – 0 points

FIDE Candidates: Round 2 pairings

• Andrey Esipenko — Hikaru Nakamura

• Anish Giri — Fabiano Caruana

• Wei Yi — Praggnanandhaa R

• Javokhir Sindarov — Matthias Bluebaum

FIDE Women’s Candidates: Standings after Round 1

1-8: Assaubayeva, Divya, Goryachkina, Lagno, Muzychuk, Tan Zhongyi, Vaishali, Zhu Jiner – 0.5 points

FIDE Women’s Candidates: Round 2 pairings

• Anna Muzychuk — Tan Zhongyi

• Kateryna Lagno — Zhu Jiner

• Bibisara Assaubayeva — Aleksandra Goryachkina

• Divya Deshmukh — Vaishali Rameshbabu