[Event "FIDE Candidates 2026"] [White "Caruana,Fabiano"] [Black "Sindarov,Javokhir"] [Site "Cap St Georges CYP"] [Round "11"] [Annotator "Speelman,Jonathan"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [Date "2026.04.11"] [WhiteElo "2795"] [BlackElo "2745"] [PlyCount "115"] {[%evp 0,115,19,20,30,-17,-4,-37,-11,-26,-9,-9,8,21,9,13,1,16,9,9,11,14,16,-16,-8,-11,-12,-27,-30,-24,-5,-30,-22,-23,-22,-42,-25,-57,-6,-34,0,-19,0,-6,8,16,15,12,7,12,13,0,1,0,4,0,0,0,8,22,32,22,41,49,82,90,75,75,78,69,78,83,84,93,180,65,56,49,49,28,24,45,94,84,91,84,77,84,125,144,124,123,130,152,149,151,159,55,54,47,69,35,37,36,35,35,30,21,47,29,38,21,34,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. Nf3 {With four rounds to go, Sindarov was 1.5 points ahead of Giri and 2.5 points ahead of Caruana, but faced the following schedule: Black against Caruana, White against Nakamura and Black against Giri. Well aware of this, Sindarov had fought a full blooded battle the previous round against Pragg to maintain the gap, but even so he faltered for an instant, then the pack would have been upon him.} d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 (4. d4 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. Qa4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Nd5 8. Bxb4 Ndxb4 9. O-O (9. a3 b5 10. Qxb5 Nc2+ 11. Kd2 Nxa1 12. Qxc6+ Bd7 13. Qxc4 c5 14. Qa2 Qa5+ 15. Nc3 cxd4 16. Nxd4 Rd8 17. Rxa1 e5 18. b4 Qb6 19. Nc2 Qxf2 20. Bd5 O-O 21. Qc4 Be6 22. Ne3 Qxh2 23. Qh4 Qxh4 24. gxh4 f5 25. Kc2 Kf7 26. Rd1 f4 27. Nc4 {½-½ Kasparov,G (2849)-Adams,M (2746) Corus Wijk aan Zee NED 2001 (13)} )Rb8 10. Ne5 O-O 11. Nxc6 Nxc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 {This is a fairly well-known line not dissimilar to what they reached.} )Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 dxc4 {Of course Caruana could instead have played either Qc2 a6 a4, Qa4 if he intended to recapture on c4 and didn't want to have to deal with Qc2 b5!?, or indeed Na3, or even Nc3 or Nd2.} 7. Ne5 Nc6 (7... Qd6 8. Na3 Qa6 { This is a line which I've occasionally tried. Black is definite skating on the edge at best.} 9. Naxc4 )8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Be3 { Aiming to fix the pawn structure.} (11. Qa4 {is most common when Black chooses between e5 and Nd5.} )Nd5 (11... Rb8 12. Nd2 Rxb2 13. Nxc4 Rb5 (13... Rb8 )14. Qc2 Bb7 15. f3 Nd5 16. Bf2 Nb4 17. Qa4 Bc6 18. Rfc1 Rbb8 19. Qa3 Bb5 20. Be1 Nd5 21. Qxe7 Nxe7 22. Bb4 Rfe8 23. Bxe7 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 Rxe7 25. Kf2 Kf8 26. Rac1 Rb7 27. g4 Rd7 28. h4 Ke7 29. R1c3 Kd8 30. a3 Rd6 31. e4 Ra6 32. Rc5 Kd7 33. Ke3 c6 34. Kf4 {½-½ Nihal,S (2688)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2779) FIDE World Cup 2023 Baku AZE (4.2)} )12. Qc1 Rb8 (12... c5 13. dxc5 Nxe3 (13... Bb7 14. Nc3 )14. Qxe3 )13. Nc3 {[#]} Nxe3 $6 {I really don't like this because, although Black temporarily wins a pawn, he now remains with a very bad structure.} (13... Bb7 14. b3 Nxc3 15. Qxc3 cxb3 16. axb3 Bd5 17. Rxa7 Rxb3 18. Qxc7 Qxc7 19. Rxc7 Ra8 20. Rfc1 (20. Re1 h6 21. Bf4 Ra2 22. e4 Bb7 )h5 { This loses a pawn, but leaves Black very active and with a good structure.} 21. Kf1 Ra2 22. Re1 Rbb2 {aAnd if} 23. Bf4 Bf3 $1 )(13... Bd7 )14. Qxe3 Rxb2 15. Rab1 Rxb1 ({Black would like to play} 15... Rb6 {but after} 16. Nd5 Qd7 17. Nxb6 axb6 {the exchange sacrifice is very dubious} 18. Rfc1 Bb7 19. f3 Bd5 20. Qc3 f5 21. Re1 Qa4 22. a3 )16. Rxb1 a6 17. f3 Bd7 18. Kf2 $1 {Watching at the time, I thought he was gonna play Qf2, but of course this is much better, defending the queen and centralising the king.} Bc6 {To persuade White to show his hand, but both Qa3 and h6 were perhaps more practical.} (18... Qa3 )19. d5 Bd7 20. Rb7 Qd6 21. Ne4 Qxd5 22. Rxc7 {Although Black is temporarily a pawn up, it is White who is pressing since both the a and c-pawns are weak here. Sindarov missed a chance to equalise, but it's a very difficult one for a human being.} e5 (22... Rc8 $1 23. Rxc8+ Bxc8 24. Qa7 h6 25. Qb8 Qd4+ $1 26. Ke1 Qa1+ 27. Kf2 Qd4+ 28. Kg2 Qd8 {And due to the passed pawn, which has now become a real force, Black holds the balance, for if} 29. Nd6 c3 30. Nxc8 Kh8 31. Qb7 Qd1 32. Ne7 Qxe2+ 33. Kh3 Qf1+ 34. Kg4 Qc4+ 35. f4 g5 {there is no mate and the c-pawn is a monster:} 36. Qb8+ Kg7 37. Qg8+ Kf6 38. Qf8 Qe2+ )(22... Bb5 23. Nc3 Qd8 24. Qc5 Qe8 )23. Qc5 Be6 ({My engine wants to play} 23... Qxc5+ 24. Nxc5 Bc8 {but people really don't like putting the bishop on c8.} )24. Qxd5 Bxd5 25. Nc3 Be6 26. Rc5 f6 27. Rc6 Kf7 {Of course he played this, but again engines prefer Bc8.} (27... Bc8 )28. Rxa6 Rb8 {[#] With the a-pawn a perennial potential threat, this is deeply unpleasant for Black. One problem which I failed to notice at the time is that if he could play Rxc3 now, then the equally illegal Kd2 would trap the rook.} 29. Ra7+ Kg6 30. Re7 Rb6 {[#]} 31. g4 $5 {Deciding to improve the kingside, though it does create a target.} (31. Ke1 h5 32. Rc7 Kh6 33. Kd2 g5 34. Kc2 (34. Kc1 )f5 )h5 32. gxh5+ Kh6 $1 33. Ke1 Bf5 34. Rc7 Be6 35. Kd2 Rd6+ 36. Kc2 {[#]} Rd7 $1 { A critical decision which Sindarov took quite quickly, realising that if the minor piece ending was lost then it was bad luck, but he simply had to fight for the control the second rank.} 37. Rc6 (37. Rxd7 Bxd7 38. a4 Kxh5 39. a5 Bc8 $1 40. Nb5 Kh4 41. Nd6 Ba6 42. Ne8 Kh3 43. Nxg7 Kxh2 44. Ne8 c3 $1 (44... f5 45. Nd6 )45. e3 f5 46. Nd6 Kg3 47. Nxf5+ Kxf3 {holds easily} )Bf7 38. a4 Ra7 39. Kb2 Kxh5 40. Ka3 Rb7 {A difficult decision on the 40th move. Bd7 was also okay.} (40... Kg5 41. Kb4 (41. Nb5 Rb7 )Rb7+ )41. Nb5 Kg5 {[#] Caruana now had a long think.} 42. Rc5 ({If} 42. Kb4 Kf4 43. Rc7 (43. a5 $4 { loses to} Rxb5+ 44. Kxb5 Be8 45. a6 c3 46. a7 Bxc6+ 47. Kxc6 c2 48. a8=Q c1=Q+ 49. Kd6 Qd1+ 50. Ke7 Qxe2 )Rxc7 44. Nxc7 Ke3 45. Kc3 Kxe2 46. a5 Bh5 47. a6 Bxf3 48. Kxc4 Kf2 {Somewhat luckily, threatening Be2+ and so preventing Nd5. } 49. a7 Bb7 50. Kc5 f5 51. Kb6 Bh1 52. Kc5 Bb7 )(42. Rc7 Rxc7 43. Nxc7 Kf4 44. a5 Ke3 45. Kb4 Kd2 46. Nb5 Kxe2 )Kf4 43. a5 Ke3 44. a6 Rb6 45. a7 Ra6+ 46. Kb4 Be8 47. Rc7 {[#]} (47. Rc8 Bxb5 48. a8=Q Rxa8 49. Rxa8 c3 $1 50. Kxb5 c2 51. Rc8 (51. Ra1 Kxe2 )Kd2 52. e4 c1=Q 53. Rxc1 Kxc1 {should end in a draw.} )Kxe2 $1 {At the time I thought that it was simpler to go into the rook ending, but that's not the case, even though that it's also a draw.} (47... Bxb5 48. Kxb5 Ra1 49. Kxc4 {and now Kxe2 loses to Kb3} g5 (49... Kxe2 $2 50. Kb3 $1 {[#] And the king can't hide from checks followed by either Rc2 or Rc4, unless White either takes the a-pawn immediately or plays e4.} f5 (50... Kxf3 51. Rc3+ Kf4 52. Rc4+ e4 53. Ra4 )(50... Kf1 51. Kb2 Ra6 52. Rc1+ Kf2 53. Ra1 )(50... e4 51. fxe4 Kf3 52. e5 fxe5 53. Rc3+ Kf4 54. Rc4+ e4 55. Ra4 )(50... Rxa7 51. Rxa7 g5 52. Rf7 Kxf3 53. Rxf6+ {wins easily.} )51. Rc2+ )50. Kb3 Ra6 51. Rc3+ Kf2 (51... Kxe2 52. Rc2+ Kxf3 53. Ra2 Rxa7 54. Rxa7 ))48. Nc3+ Kxf3 49. Rxg7 e4 50. Re7 f5 51. Rxe8 Rxa7 52. Rf8 Rh7 53. Rxf5+ Kg2 54. Nxe4 Kxh2 55. Nf6 {Very politely deciding not to try with R+N v R. He must have been desperately disappointed but was perhaps influenced by Sindarov's decision in the first half not to try with R v B against Giri.} Rc7 56. Rc5 Rxc5 57. Kxc5 c3 58. Ng4+ {[#] A brilliant defence by Sindarov. in which he teetered on the brink for some moves just a single tempo from defeat. As I said, I really think that few of the world's top players would have survived against Caruana.} 1/2-1/2