Round 1 thriller: Praggnanandhaa, Caruana share top spot at Candidates Tournament

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa made a stunning start at the prestigious Candidates Tournament by defeating Dutchman Anish Giri , securing a full point and sharing the early lead with American Fabiano Caruana and Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov .

In an action-packed first round of the eight-player double round-robin event, Sindarov , the reigning World Cup champion, showcased his tactical acumen by overturning Andrey Esipenko of Russia. Meanwhile, Caruana , one of the pre-event favourites, outplayed fellow American Hikaru Nakamura , capitalizing on an opposite-coloured bishops endgame to seal a precise victory. The clash between Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum and China’s Wei Yi ended in a stalemate, with both players sharing the point.

Praggnanandhaa, who had faced a challenging run in recent months, bounced back with style. Using the Grand Prix Attack against Giri’s Sicilian Defense , the young Indian gained a crucial lead on the clock. While Giri managed to equalize in the early middle game, Praggnanandhaa won a pawn in the ensuing rook-and-minor-pieces endgame. Giri, pressed for time, blundered in a pawn-down rook endgame, allowing Praggnanandhaa to convert smoothly.

In the women’s section, also held simultaneously, it was a day dominated by draws. Indian Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh , stepping in as a late replacement for Koneru Humpy , drew with Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine, while R Vaishali shared a point with Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva . Other matches included draws between Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno , as well as China’s Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi .

The Candidates Tournament serves as the pathway to challenge reigning world champions D Gukesh and Ju Wenjun for the next World Championship title. With their Round 1 performances, Praggnanandhaa and Caruana have set the stage for an exciting, high-stakes competition.