🔥 Candidates Tournament 2026 – Round 3 Action
Open Section
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Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu vs Javokhir Sindarov – Both joint leaders after two rounds.
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Fabiano Caruana vs Wei Yi – Clash of heavyweights, both chasing early momentum.
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Hikaru Nakamura vs Anish Giri – A duel of creativity vs solidity.
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Andrey Esipenko vs Matthias Bluebaum – Both looking to climb from the bottom half.
Women’s Section
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R. Vaishali vs Anna Muzychuk – Vaishali seeks her first win.
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Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi – Redemption chance after missing opportunities in Round 2.
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Aleksandra Goryachkina vs Bibisara Assaubayeva – Heavyweight duel.
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Kateryna Lagno vs Zhu Jiner – Both aiming to break the streak of draws.
Standings after Round 2: Caruana, Sindarov, and Praggnanandhaa lead with 1.5 points each. The women’s section remains tightly packed after a full round of draws.
💠My Take
Round 3 feels like the first real turning point. Praggnanandhaa’s clash with Sindarov could set the tone for the Open section, while Vaishali and Divya’s matches are crucial for India’s hopes in the Women’s Candidates. After so many draws yesterday, today might finally deliver the fireworks fans are waiting for.
👉 What do you think of Round 3 pairings? 💬 Share your thoughts in the comments, hit like if you’re following the Candidates closely, and don’t forget to follow this blog for daily updates straight from Cyprus!
Would you like me to live-blog the results later today so you’ll have a ready-made recap once the games finish?
