Chess · Worth knowing

Javokhir Sindarov extended his lead to two points at the 2026 Candidates Tournament in Cyprus by defeating Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu in round ten, securing his sixth victory with no losses in ten rounds. Sindarov's aggressive, tactically alert approach—combining strong preparation with willingness to enter sharp positions—has proven highly effective, and with four rounds remaining, he is on pace to surpass the eight-to-nine point totals typical of previous Candidates winners. Anish Giri remains in second place after drawing with Hikaru Nakamura, while Fabiano Caruana drew with Wei Yi, leaving both players three and three-and-a-half points behind the leader respectively.

The American Cup 2026 concluded its Elimination Bracket finals in Saint Louis, with Levon Aronian and Wesley So advancing to the open section Grand Final after defeating Fabiano Caruana on consecutive days. Aronian defeated Caruana in a match featuring two rapid games and a blitz playoff, with Caruana winning the first rapid game via a Nimzo-Indian advantage, then Aronian equalizing in a Rossolimo Sicilian where Caruana's early pawn sacrifice lacked sufficient compensation. In the blitz tiebreak, Aronian narrowly escaped with a draw after missing a winning move, then prevailed in the deciding game when Caruana blundered with 32.Ra2. The Grand Final will consist of two classical games with resets and potential tiebreaks, giving So a third opportunity to win the title after losing the 2023 and 2024 finals. In the women's section, Carissa Yip secured a rematch with defending champion Alice Lee by defeating Tatev Abrahamyan 2–0 in the Elimination Bracket final. Yip demonstrated sharp attacking play in both games, quickly dismantling Abrahamyan's position in the first game through a French Defence attack that concluded in 27 moves, then continued aggressively in the second game to claim a decisive victory.