"Why??!" || Sindarov vs Praggnanandhaa || FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 R10

In a thrilling game from round 10 of this year's FIDE Candidates Tournament, Djavokir Sindarov, the leader with a two-point margin, faced Prajnananda. Prajnananda, who had previously lost to Djavokir in the first half of the tournament, was eager for a comeback, especially with the black pieces. Before the game began, a photo captured the handshake between the two, with Djavokir displaying strong posture, perhaps to intimidate Prajnananda, though his dominant play throughout the tournament suggested little need for it. The game commenced with Djavokir, playing white, opening with pawn to d4, leading into a very interesting line. After Knight f6, pawn to c4, pawn to e6, and knight f3, the game proceeded with pawn to d5, initiating the Queen's Gambit Declined. Knight c3 followed, and then knight b to d7, a well-known variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. Bishop to f4 was played, followed by bishop to b4. Captures on d5 occurred, with E captures and pawn to e3, immediately followed by knight to e4, putting pressure on the knight on c3. Queen to c2 established a popular position. Pawn to g5 was played next, a move less common but notably used by top Indian Grand Masters like Vishwanathan Anand, Aravind Chitambaram, and even reigning world champion Gukesh, who won a game with it recently. Djavokir responded with bishop to g3, followed by pawn to h5 and bishop to d3, with both players moving fairly quickly. Pawn to h4, resembling an old Steinitz game, was played, leading to bishop captures on e4. This was all still within known theory. Queen captures on e4 with check, king to f8, and bishop to e5 followed. Pawn to f6 brought them to a very interesting position, previously played in 2015 between Evgeny Postny and Ivan Sokolov. Ivan Sokolov, one of Djavokir Sindarov's coaches, had won that game, suggesting this was a position Djavokir and the Uzbekistan team were well aware of. Djavokir then played the absolute best move, knight captures on g5, after spending 10 minutes, perhaps to feign unfamiliarity. This move, a novelty, marked a completely new game as of move 14, and it was the best move recommended by the engine, a bad sign for the opponent trying to surprise. Bishop captures on c3 was an option, but capturing on e5 also worked. The game saw captures, knight captures, D captures, and F captures on g5, followed by pawn to f4. This position, on move 17 of a Candidates Tournament, was unusual and garnered attention from other players. Pawn to h3, the best move by Prajnananda, followed. Rook to d1 attacked the queen, which moved to e7, then g3. Praggnanandhaa, despite having sufficient time, seemed to confuse his lines here. Bishop to d7 or bishop to g4 were the best moves, but he played g captures on f4. Djavokir then castled kingside. Rook to h6 was played by Prajnananda, and Djavokir responded with rook captures on f4, opening the f-file. King to g8 followed, and then rook d to f1, doubling up on the f-file. On move 19, Prajnananda played bishop to d7, which was the top engine move earlier but here blundered the game. The winning move for Djavokir was rook to f7, which Prajnananda missed. Prajnananda thought he was still in preparation, but the move led to a blunder. After Queen captures on f7, rook captures on f7, and king captures on f7, Prajnananda had two rooks and a bishop for the queen, which would normally be fine. However, Queen to f4 check was the move he missed. No matter where the black king moved, the rook on h6 had to be guarded. King g7 was played, but Queen e7 with check followed, leading to King g8 and then Queen captures on d7. At this point, Djavokir had a queen against two rooks. More critically, if the queen and both rooks were removed, Djavokir would be left with six pawns to Prajnananda's four, a dead loss. This meant that trading back the rooks for the queen was not an option. Prajnananda, despite the hopeless position, fought on. Rook to f8, Queen to g4 with check, King to h8, and then pawn to a4, followed by pawn to a5. Prajnananda had little to do but wait. Queen g5, rook to h7, and pawn to e6 followed. Rook to e8 went after the pawn, and queen captures on a5. Prajnananda gained the e6 pawn, but Djavokir didn't need it. The game continued with b6, Queen to e5 with check, King to g8, Queen to g5 check, rook to g7, Queen to f5, and rook g to e7. To make progress, Djavokir had to give back some material. Queen g4 with check, King f8, and Queen captures on h3, followed by rook captures on e6. King f2 answered all questions, leading to a king and pawn endgame, where Djavokir was up two full pawns and completely winning. After King f2, rook 8 to e7, Prajnananda was waiting for the inevitable. Queen to h8 check, King to f7, pawn to g4, rook to e4, Queen to h5 with check, King g7, Queen g5 check, King to f7, King to f3. Rook captures on a4, and then pawn to h4. The game was completely winning for Djavokir. Rook to a5, Queen to h6, rook 8 to e5, putting pressure on the pawn, but it was irrelevant. Queen h7, King to f8, Queen h8 with check, King to f7. E4, Queen h7 check, giving up the queen for the two rooks. B5, pawn to h5, pawn to c5, trying to create a pass pawn on the b-file. H6, rook to g5, Queen to d8, rook to g8, and then Queen to d5 with check. In this position, on move 53, Prajnananda resigned, as there was nothing more to be done. Djavokir Sindarov's incredible play continued, showcasing complicated yet simple chess, leading to another win against a top player. He now has six wins in a FIDE Candidates Tournament, a remarkable achievement. All other games in the round finished in a draw, further solidifying Djavokir's lead. He stands at eight points, with Anish Giri in second place with six points, giving Djavokir a two-point lead with four rounds remaining. While Anish still has a chance to catch up, Djavokir's current performance, with an almost 3000 rating performance, makes him seem unstoppable. He still has to face Anish and Fabiano Caruana, so anything could happen, but it appears Djavokir Sindarov is on track to face world champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title, possibly starting in November.