<p>Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov has won the men's Candidates tournament with one round to spare. The 20-year-old Uzbek beat Dutch player Anish Giri to move to 9 and a half points with one round to spare. Sindarov played a 58-move draw with Giri on Tuesday (Apr 14) in Cyprus to win the coveted tournament. He'll now challenge India's Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title in November later this year. This would be second time, that too back-to-back, with two Asian players fighting for the World Championship title. Two years ago, Gukesh beat Singapore's Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion in history.</p><h2>Sindarov wins Candidates to set up world title match with Gukesh</h2><p>Sindarov was emphatic throughout the eight-men double round-robin tournament, winning six and drawing seven of 13 games so far. He has one more game left but that is just a formality before he is officially crowned Candidates champion. "After he exchanged queens [20 Qxa6] ... I didn’t have any pressure,” Sindarov said after the game. “I felt very comfortable during the game.” Sindarov will play China’s Wei Yi in a dead rubber on Wednesday to cap off a memorable tournament.</p><h2>How much prize money for Candidates winner Sindarov?</h2><p>The Uzbek will get $82,500 from a $825,000 pool of prize money. He will also get $5,895 for each point scored in the tournament with his current tally at 9.5 points.</p><p>"If you asked me this question a year ago, I would have never believed this,” Sindarov said about his win. "But in the last year I’ve really improved my chess. I’m very happy with my chess skills. I will try to play better and better."</p><h2>Sindarov vs Gukesh for World Champion</h2><p>Sindarov will now face D Gukesh for the world title in best-of-14 tournament, dates for which are yet to be announced. "He’s the youngest champion in history and of course one of the best players in the world," Sindarov said about his world title opponent. "He has a lot of strong skills and it will be a very exciting match. He has a very good team. What can I say, I just wish him good luck."</p>

 The 20-year-old Uzbek beat Dutch player Anish Giri to move to 9 and a half points with one round to spare. Sindarov played a 58-move draw with Giri on Tuesday (Apr 14) in Cyprus to win the coveted tournament. He'll now challenge India's Gukesh for the world title in November later this year.

Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov has won the men's Candidates tournament with one round to spare. The 20-year-old Uzbek beat Dutch player Anish Giri to move to 9 and a half points with one round to spare. Sindarov played a 58-move draw with Giri on Tuesday (Apr 14) in Cyprus to win the coveted tournament. He'll now challenge India's Gukesh Dommaraju for the world title in November later this year. This would be second time, that too back-to-back, with two Asian players fighting for the World Championship title. Two years ago, Gukesh beat Singapore's Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion in history. Sindarov wins Candidates to set up world title match with Gukesh Sindarov was emphatic throughout the eight-men double round-robin tournament, winning six and drawing seven of 13 games so far. He has one more game left but that is just a formality before he is officially crowned Candidates champion. "After he exchanged queens [20 Qxa6] ... I didn’t have any pressure,” Sindarov said after the game. “I felt very comfortable during the game.” Sindarov will play China’s Wei Yi in a dead rubber on Wednesday to cap off a memorable tournament. How much prize money for Candidates winner Sindarov? The Uzbek will get $82,500 from a $825,000 pool of prize money. He will also get $5,895 for each point scored in the tournament with his current tally at 9.5 points. "If you asked me this question a year ago, I would have never believed this,” Sindarov said about his win. "But in the last year I’ve really improved my chess. I’m very happy with my chess skills. I will try to play better and better." Sindarov vs Gukesh for World Champion Sindarov will now face D Gukesh for the world title in best-of-14 tournament, dates for which are yet to be announced. "He’s the youngest champion in history and of course one of the best players in the world," Sindarov said about his world title opponent. "He has a lot of strong skills and it will be a very exciting match. He has a very good team. What can I say, I just wish him good luck."

<p>&nbsp;The 20-year-old Uzbek beat Dutch player Anish Giri to move to 9 and a half points with one round to spare. Sindarov played a 58-move draw with Giri on Tuesday (Apr 14) in Cyprus to win the coveted tournament. He'll now challenge India's Gukesh for the world title in November later this year.</p>

Javokhir Sindarov, 20, wins Candidates with one game to spare to set up world title clash vs Gukesh

<p>Criton Tornaritis, president of the Cyprus Chess Federation (CCF), has criticised Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fide-candidates-indian-grandmaster-koneru-humpy-withdraws-citing-personal-safety-and-well-being-1774244894966">withdrawing from upcoming FIDE Candidates</a> tournament citing security concerns. Humpy had withdrawn from the tournament, which is scheduled from March 28 to April 7 in Cyprus, because of the host country's proximity to the ongoing war in West Asia involving Iran, Israel and the US. Humpy called the decision hard but a necessary one in her social media post. Tornaritis, however, doesn't agree with Humpy's claim to Cyprus being called unsafe and found the Indian grandmaster's claim to be not true.</p><h2>Why Cyprus chess chief isn't happy with Humpy's statement on withdrawing from FIDE Candidates?</h2><p>Taking to X, Tornaritis wrote that he is "sincerely disappointed by Koneru Humpy’s decision to withdraw, citing that Cyprus 'is not safe'."</p><p><strong>Also Read </strong>- <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tiger-woods-returns-golf-legend-competes-in-tgl-finals-ahead-of-2026-masters-decision-1774364271593">Woods is Back! Golf king competes in TGL Finals ahead of 2026 Masters decision</a></p><p>"The 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament is one of the most important and prestigious chess events in the world. This claim is simply incorrect. Spreading unfounded concerns harms the sport and shows a lack of respect for the organizers and the players who are participating. At the highest level of chess, decisions should be based on calculation and facts—not fear or misinformation. It was a bad move," he added in reponse to Humpy's comment that FIDE should not have chosen Cyprus as host amid the security concern.</p><h2>Why FIDE Candidates event is important?</h2><p>The winner of FIDE Candidates tournament winnner gets to challenge the FIDE World Champion. With Humpy out of contention, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh will now represent Indian women in the event. The winner of the tournament will challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the women's title.</p><h2>Tornaritis also calls out US grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura as well</h2><p>Tornaritis also called out US grandmaster Nakamura's claim of prolonged power cuts in Cyprus and wrote on X: "I’m genuinely curious where you read that, because it certainly doesn’t reflect the reality in Cyprus. And just to be clear, there are no “electricity cuts across Cyprus” in general. Perhaps there’s been some confusion with another country?"</p>

The winner of FIDE Candidates tournament winnner gets to challenge the FIDE World Champion. With Humpy out of contention, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh will now represent Indian women in the event. The winner of the tournament will challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the women's title.

Criton Tornaritis, president of the Cyprus Chess Federation (CCF), has criticised Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy for withdrawing from upcoming FIDE Candidates tournament citing security concerns. Humpy had withdrawn from the tournament, which is scheduled from March 28 to April 7 in Cyprus, because of the host country's proximity to the ongoing war in West Asia involving Iran, Israel and the US. Humpy called the decision hard but a necessary one in her social media post. Tornaritis, however, doesn't agree with Humpy's claim to Cyprus being called unsafe and found the Indian grandmaster's claim to be not true. Why Cyprus chess chief isn't happy with Humpy's statement on withdrawing from FIDE Candidates? Taking to X, Tornaritis wrote that he is "sincerely disappointed by Koneru Humpy’s decision to withdraw, citing that Cyprus 'is not safe'." Also Read - Woods is Back! Golf king competes in TGL Finals ahead of 2026 Masters decision "The 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament is one of the most important and prestigious chess events in the world. This claim is simply incorrect. Spreading unfounded concerns harms the sport and shows a lack of respect for the organizers and the players who are participating. At the highest level of chess, decisions should be based on calculation and facts—not fear or misinformation. It was a bad move," he added in reponse to Humpy's comment that FIDE should not have chosen Cyprus as host amid the security concern. Why FIDE Candidates event is important? The winner of FIDE Candidates tournament winnner gets to challenge the FIDE World Champion. With Humpy out of contention, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh will now represent Indian women in the event. The winner of the tournament will challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the women's title. Tornaritis also calls out US grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura as well Tornaritis also called out US grandmaster Nakamura's claim of prolonged power cuts in Cyprus and wrote on X: "I’m genuinely curious where you read that, because it certainly doesn’t reflect the reality in Cyprus. And just to be clear, there are no “electricity cuts across Cyprus” in general. Perhaps there’s been some confusion with another country?"

<p>The winner of FIDE Candidates tournament winnner gets to challenge the FIDE World Champion. With Humpy out of contention, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh will now represent Indian women in the event. The winner of the tournament will challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the women's title.</p>

'Spreading unfounded concerns': Cyprus chess chief calls Indian grandmaster Humpy's decision to withdraw from FIDE Candidates 'bad move'

<p>Koneru Humpy, the 38-year-old Indian chess Grandmaster, has decided to withdraw from the upcoming FIDE Chandidates tournament citing ongoing crisis in West Asia. The FIDE Cadidates tournament is scheduled to be played from March 28 in Cyprus. The host country isn't exactly in the war zone but faced a missile strike during the initial days of US-Israel-Iran war which started Feb 28. The ongoing war also also forced cancellation of two Formula 1 races - in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain - both the country are in impact zone of Iran's strikes in response to US-Israel war.</p><h2>Why Koneru Humpy withdrew from FIDE Candidates tournament?</h2><p>The 38-year-old took to social media platform X to announce her decision which read: “After deep reflection, I have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. No event, no matter how important, can come before personal safety and well-being. Despite the assurances provided, I do not feel fully secure under the current circumstances.”</p><p>Humpy, however, was disheartned by the decision and acknowledged: "This is a painful but necessary decision, and I stand by it."</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">After deep reflection, I have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament.<br><br>No event, no matter how important, can come before personal safety and well-being. Despite the assurances provided, I do not feel fully secure under the current…</p>&mdash; Koneru Humpy (@humpy_koneru) <a href="https://twitter.com/humpy_koneru/status/2035753761331872084?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 22, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<p><strong>Also Read</strong> - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/verstappen-finally-wins-in-germany-but-gets-disqualified-in-germany-by-no-fault-of-his-1774241468570">Verstappen finally wins but gets disqualified in Germany by no fault of his</a></p><h2>Why FIDE Candidates event is important?</h2><p>The winner of FIDE Candidates tournament winnner gets to challenge the FIDE World Champion. With Humpy out of contention, R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh will now represent Indian women in the event. The winner of the tournament will challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the women's title.</p><h2>What did FIDE say about Humpy's withdrawl?</h2><p>The apex chess body, FIDE, confirmed Humpy's withdrawl from the tournament and announced "Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine)" as her replacement as well.</p><p>“Humpy Koneru (India) has officially withdrawn from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026, scheduled to take place in Cyprus from March 28 to April 16. In accordance with the tournament regulations, her place was offered to the next highest finisher in the Women’s Events Series 2024–25 who has not yet secured qualification,” FIDE stated in its statement.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

The host country, Cyprus, isn't exactly in the war zone but faced a missile strike during the initial days of US-Israel-Iran war which started Feb 28. The winner of FIDE Candidates tournament winnner gets to challenge the FIDE World Champion.

Koneru Humpy, the 38-year-old Indian chess Grandmaster, has decided to withdraw from the upcoming FIDE Chandidates tournament citing ongoing crisis in West Asia. The FIDE Cadidates tournament is scheduled to be played from March 28 in Cyprus. The host country isn't exactly in the war zone but faced a missile strike during the initial days of US-Israel-Iran war which started Feb 28. The ongoing war also also forced cancellation of two Formula 1 races - in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain - both the country are in impact zone of Iran's strikes in response to US-Israel war. Why Koneru Humpy withdrew from FIDE Candidates tournament? The 38-year-old took to social media platform X to announce her decision which read: “After deep reflection, I have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. No event, no matter how important, can come before personal safety and well-being. Despite the assurances provided, I do not feel fully secure under the current circumstances.” Humpy, however, was disheartned by the decision and acknowledged: "This is a painful but necessary decision, and I stand by it."

<p>The host country, Cyprus, isn't exactly in the war zone but faced a missile strike during the initial days of US-Israel-Iran war which started Feb 28. The winner of FIDE Candidates tournament winnner gets to challenge the FIDE World Champion.</p>

FIDE Candidates: Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy withdraws citing 'personal safety and well-being'

India's Vidit Gujrathi defeated Alireza Firouzja, while Praggnanandhaa defeated Nijat Abasov on a successful day for Indians in the open segment at the Candidates chess tournament. Watch to know more.

FIDE Candidates Chess: Vidit, Praggnanandhaa win; Gukesh on top of standings

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Javokhir Sindarov, 20, wins Candidates with one game to spare to set up world title clash vs Gukesh

Cyprus chess chief calls out Humpy's decision to withdraw from FIDE Candidates

India's Koneru Humpy withdraws from FIDE Candidates amid US-Israel-Iran war

FIDE Candidates Chess: Vidit, Praggnanandhaa win; Gukesh on top of standings