Setbacks and Surprises Shake Up the FIDE Candidates Tournament

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa experienced a major obstacle in his journey at the FIDE Candidates Tournament, losing to Uzbek Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov in the third round. This defeat comes after an impressive start, as he had previously triumphed over Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri.

Sindarov's victory propels him to co-lead the tournament alongside American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, who defeated China's Wei Yi in a quick 19-move match. Praggnanandhaa now finds himself needing swift redemption, trailing behind with 1.5 points.

In the concurrent women’s competition, Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva achieved the first victory of the event against Zhu Jiner of China, while other players like R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh managed to maintain competitiveness with crucial draws.