Javokhir Sindarov Leads Candidates Tournament After Nine Rounds in Cyprus
Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov remains firmly in control at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus after nine rounds, maintaining a comfortable lead in the race for the world title, RIA News reports.
In the latest round, Sindarov settled for a draw against Germany’s Matthias Blubaum, bringing his tally to seven points. The result keeps him well ahead of the chasing pack.
Closest rival Anish Giri strengthened his grip on second place after defeating Fabiano Caruana, moving to 5.5 points. Caruana now sits third on 4.5 points.
Elsewhere, the remaining matches ended in draws. R Praggnanandhaa shared the point with Wei Yi, while Andrey Esipenko and Hikaru Nakamura played out a marathon 91-move stalemate.
Nakamura, Wei, Praggnanandhaa and Blubaum are tied for fourth place on four points, with Esipenko at the bottom of the standings on three.
The eight-player tournament is being held over two rounds and runs until April 15, with five games still to be played. Sindarov must hold his advantage to secure first place and earn the right to challenge reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju for the title.
