Chess NewsApril 17, 2026
European Individual Chess Championship 2026 Update on April 17
DeepBlunder
9 min read

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The 2026 FIDE Candidates was played in Cyprus from March 28 to April 16, and the event used a 14-round double round robin to decide the next World Championship challenger. By April 17, the headline is fully settled: Javokhir Sindarov won the tournament with 10.0/14, finished undefeated, and secured

Robert Hovhannisyan, Isik Can, Jonas Buhl Bjerre, and Aydin Suleymanli are all listed on 5.0/7, which means the event still has a compact lead group rather than a runaway favorite.

Round 13 did not produce a dramatic late collapse, a miracle comeback, or a last-second swing at the top; instead, it confirmed that Sindarov has been the strongest and most consistent player in the field.