2026 World Championship Candidates
To begin with, a question – and by no means a rhetorical one.
Do they – the top chess players, the participants in this tournament – actually know how to play chess? The answer to this lies in the analyses on our blog.
Our coverage of this tournament goes beyond contemporary chess theory and practice. In it, we highlight the weaknesses and shortcomings in the players’ games, including the winner’s. And we present our own new ideas and concepts.
We bring knowledge to chess that even the grandmasters lack.
That is why they can come to us to further their education. We invite them, and not just them. We also invite other chess players who wish to discover the secrets of the Goldchess style and learn to play chess well and brilliantly.
Goldchess Online Chess Academy – courses for all levels.
Each set of analyses includes our games, the original for comparison, and positions should anyone wish to find the winning move themselves. Of course, we then play against our educational computer, which can be downloaded from goldchess.com
The games are here:
https://www.goldchess.com/en/other/winnerslist.html#g0_wins
- Probably the biggest highlight of our analysis and of this tournament.
Nakamura-Sindarov 0-1
We didn’t want to look for a win for Nakamura here, as he lost decisively. However, knowing that every game has a logical flaw—a pivotal moment where the outcome hinges on a single move—we did look. And we can say with complete certainty and confidence that Nakamura should come to Goldchess to learn how to play chess. Because what he overlooked, in our eyes, disqualifies him. I might even venture to say that no grandmaster in the Candidates Tournament has ever lost like this before. Of course, if Nakamura had played like this…
In set 3, our checkmates and the original for comparison. Night and day. See for yourselves.
- Caruana–Nakamura 1–0
A hard-fought win in 83 moves. Caruana undoubtedly plays strongly and has his own style, though in our view there is too much positional play in it. Caruana could do with a bit of a shake-up, perhaps something like the variation we’ve shown, which wins in 52 moves. A different atmosphere, 31 moves faster – that’s something. But that’s not all. In this game, we have a win involving a double queen sacrifice. A chess gem.
But these are uncharted territory for Caruana, and we suspect he wouldn’t be able to play it. And he’s not the only one. We believe, and we’re probably right, that playing this variation is beyond the technical capabilities of most grandmasters. But the young, that is, the younger chess players, will find it. This game will be featured in the Immortal tournament (every Saturday).
- Sindarov-Caruana 1-0
Caruana lost to Sindarov. Precisely because he lacks that certain something we mentioned when discussing the Caruana-Nakamura draw. Greater versatility. The ability to make a brilliant move. Sindarov, with the move 36.Rc5 – which Caruana did not foresee and which took him completely by surprise – forced him to resign. We won’t be looking for a win for Black here, but will instead show other variations White could have played. A draw on move 46; then, with a bit of cunning and wit, Black loses their queen and must resign on move 49. In the third variation, we have a win on move 41. After this game, we can say that Caruana should definitely train further at Goldchess, even if he comes to us anonymously. You’re welcome to join us.
- Top-of-the-table clashes
Praggna-Sindarov 0-1
Sindarov is in top form and mowing everyone down. Praggna lost in 40 moves. In the endgame, it was a rout for White. Six pawns to two. Incredible and a rare occurrence. But at Goldchess, we can turn that around. Here, it’s a rout of Black in 34 moves. Why did Praggna lose? I’ll tell you. He lost because, in the position after 18 moves, he played 19.Qc3. So, is Sindarov, the frontrunner, really playing that strongly?
We’ll answer that after reviewing all his games in this tournament. In this game, our win in 34 moves, we show that he isn’t playing strongly and that he can be outplayed. You just have to play, Grandmaster Praggnandhaa.
- Praggna-Giri 1-0
Giri lost. But did he really? How illusory it all is. This loss stems solely from an inability to play endgames. And it is not credible in real, proper chess. With Black, we have a draw on move 60, and Giri could also have achieved it without any trouble.
- Caruana–Bluebaum 1–0
Caruana won. But in complicated positions, anything can happen.
And in our game, Black won, and in fine style. All it took was gaining a single tempo.
Bluebaum failed to spot this. So if practically all the wins can be called into question, was the Candidates Tournament a serious affair? It seems not. That is to say, in FIDE terms, yes; in chess terms, no. Like two sides of the same coin. And those who won must be aware of this. That it could have gone the other way.
Caruana delivered a beautiful checkmate with a pawn on move 28; we turned the result around on move 29. A move later, but ours is spectacular too. We also show a checkmate on move 32, when White plays a different 24th move.
- We’re showing you how to play chess.
Sindarov’s two draws are a thorn in our side, as they’re spoiling his record.
Sindarov-Bluebaum. Sindarov was unable to win this game. We could. The simplicity and elegance of chess. Our victory is based on the following plan of play:
1.Both rooks must be exchanged. Sindarov’s 29.B:e1 was a mistake. The rook should have been captured with a rook. After the rook exchange, White is left with two bishops, Black with a black-squared bishop and a knight. To have any chance of playing at all, Black must activate and advance the knight. We will then exchange it, simultaneously demolishing Black’s pawn structure. That is our plan. Logical, simple and effective. Sindarov didn’t play it. And we fully executed our plan. White wins on move 41. See how we did it. Magic.
- Sindarov–Giri: a draw
We show you how to play chess
Another good title for this game. Our concepts are foolproof and far superior to those employed by today’s chess players. This is clearly evident in this tournament. Our analysts are ahead of the game. In this game, we can clearly see the weakness of the bishop on d7, which is standing on the king’s file. And this is the theme we exploit to win. In two ways and in a beautiful style that can amaze literally anyone. And a small note. We do not take the d5 pawn like Sindarov (41.R:d5), because then Black mobilises his pieces to defend it, allowing us to calmly carry out our plan.
9. Esipenko–Sindarov: Draw
Another draw, this time against the bottom-placed team. An outsider taking half a point off the leader feels like half a defeat. But Esipenko played this game very strongly and, to be honest, Sindarov was rather lucky to secure the draw. It could have been worse. We found a mate on move 47 in our analysis, but only after a great deal of struggle and trial and error. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. That is why we believe that neither Sindarov nor any other chess player in the world will find this variation during the tournament. Or perhaps no one will find it at all. We’ll find out in the Immortal tournament. In addition to the prize, the winner will receive the title of Immortal Genius.
A final note. To win a game, you must surprise your opponent with something. And this game is a prime example of the truth of that statement. That surprise is Black’s forced capture of the queen.
10. Bluebaum-Sindarov draw
Sindarov’s fourth draw. Probably fatigue, and his playing strength has waned. He still has an advantage over the runner-up, but he must conserve his strength for the finish so as not to lose that advantage. The drawn position has essentially persisted since the start of the game, and so they proceed to the endgame. Equal pawns, equal pieces. Breaking this balance is extremely difficult. But not impossible. We broke this drawish zugzwang and have wins on move 52. That’s what Sindarov lacked in this game. The key to victory lies in Black’s 31st move.
11. Sindarov–Praggna 1–0
It looks as though Sindarov will see this victory through to the end. In the 10th round, he beat Praggna and extended his lead over Giri to 2 points. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.
P.S. We’re not looking for a win for Praggna here. At Goldchess, we teach you to play beautifully and brilliantly. So we’re showing how Sindarov could have ended this game differently (he played 52.Qd8). Take a look at our variation.
12. Sindarov-Wei Yi draw
Sindarov secured the victory. He performed less well in the second round, with 1 win and 6 draws. Esipenko proved to be the weakest link in the table. But in an 8-player tournament like this, someone always has to be the points provider. As a rule, it’s the bottom four. Here, Nakamura and Praggna joined the ranks of the points providers. Our heroes are Giri, who lost only one game, and of course the winner, who didn’t lose a single one.
As the final game in our analytical report, we present Sindarov’s (White) last draw against Wei Yi. We rose above the level of this match and it paid off. We brilliantly won a piece and the game was over.
Two questions raised in this report remain to be answered.
Was the tournament a serious affair, and do they – the world’s top chess players – know how to play chess?
And here, since silence is golden, we remain silent. Let everyone find the answer for themselves.
Of course, after watching our games and comparing them with the originals.
Games: https://www.goldchess.com/en/other/winnerslist.html#g0_wins
2026 Women’s World Championship Candidates Tournament
Rameshbabu Vaishali won the tournament. However, she lost two games to the same opponent, Jiner Zhu, allowing Zhu to finish in 3rd place. It seems that Babu struggles against her. We analyzed both losses, with White and Black. Indeed, Zhu is a tough opponent to beat; she plays a style of chess that is difficult for her opponents. However, we managed to draw with Black and win with White. Draw. All it took was to control the “c” file to prevent White’s pieces from entering Black’s territory and to exchange them.
The win is more complicated. We’re showing the draw here; the win will be featured in one of our tournaments.
To be continued.
Our other (non-course) educational resources:
The book ‘500 Goldchess Games’, in Polish and English
https://500.goldchess.com/en/product/500-goldchess-games/
Our tournaments
https://www.goldchess.com/en/other/tournaments.html
We invite you to learn.