Chess Base

• Candidates R4: Sindarov stuns Caruana in clash of co-leaders, climbs to world number six

  A clear leader has emerged after four rounds of the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. Javokhir Sindarov defeated Fabiano Caruana in the clash of co-leaders to move to 3½ out of 4, with a full-point lead over his closest chaser. Anish Giri also won, beating Andrey Esipenko with black to return to a fift-percent score, while the remaining two games were drawn ahead of the tournament's first rest day. | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

• Is this year's greatest underdog Matthias Bluebaum? - The Underdog

  The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 is already in full swing, with streamers and top players sharing their takes on the early results. A common narrative has emerged: Matthias Bluebaum is seen as the biggest underdog in the field, but is that really justified? With a rating close to 2700 and back-to-back European Championship titles, his credentials are difficult to ignore. In this episode, Robert Ris has a closer look at one of Bluebaum's recent victories, explaining why the underdog label might still fit, and how it could become his greatest weapon in surprising the field.

• Candidates Round 4 - Live!

  The Candidates Tournaments form the final qualifying stage of the FIDE World Championship cycle. Each tournament features eight of the world's strongest players competing in a double round-robin format over fourteen rounds of classical chess. In Wednesday's round four, co-leaders Javokhir Sindarov and Fabiano Caruana face off ahead of the tournemant's first rest day. | Follow the games live with expert commentary starting at 14.30 CEST (8.30 ET, 18.00 IST) | Photo: Yoav Nis