After drawing his seventh-round game against Anish Giri, Javokhir Sindarov completed the first half of the FIDE Candidates Tournament as the sole leader with an impressive 6 points from 7 games, opening a 1.5-point advantage over Fabiano Caruana. Meanwhile, Wei Yi celebrated his first victory of the tournament with a brilliant attacking performance against Andrey Esipenko.

In the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, R. Vaishali defeated Tan Zhongyi to move within half a point of tournament leader Anna Muzychuk, who remains in first place with 4.5/7.

The seventh round took place at the Cap St. Georges Hotel & Resort, where distinguished guests made the ceremonial opening moves. Mohammed Al Mudahka, President of the Qatar Chess Federation, played the first move for Javokhir Sindarov before his game against Anish Giri, while Zhu Chen, the ninth Women’s World Champion and FIDE Treasurer, performed the ceremonial opening move for Anna Muzychuk in her game against Bibisara Assaubayeva.

Much of the attention in the Open section focused on Sindarov’s encounter with Giri, as the tournament leader looked to continue his remarkable run. At the same time, the clash between Fabiano Caruana and R. Praggnanandhaa carried major significance in the race for second place. However, it was Wei Yi who produced the most memorable game of the day.

Facing Andrey Esipenko, Wei Yi took full advantage of his opponent’s questionable opening decisions and launched a powerful attacking display reminiscent of the style that first established him among the world’s elite players.

At a critical moment, Wei Yi introduced the spectacular exchange sacrifice 22…Rc4!, a move that immediately increased the pressure. Accepting the sacrifice would have opened decisive attacking lines, leaving Esipenko with no satisfactory defense.

Wei Yi continued his attack energetically with 26…Bb5!, and after 27.bxc4 Bxc4 28.Bc2 Bd3!, White’s position became impossible to defend. Esipenko resigned a few moves later after a forced mating sequence.

Speaking after the game, Wei Yi explained his opening preparation.

“In Goa I played him twice in the Petrov, and he showed interesting ideas in the 5.Nc3 variation. Today 4.Qe2 was a surprise: it has ideas with long castling and a kingside attack, so I needed to be careful. I chose safe moves. After 14…Qe8!, I didn’t see any good options for White. I think he underestimated that move.”

Tournament leader Javokhir Sindarov pressed throughout his game against Anish Giri in a well-known Ragozin Variation of the Queen’s Gambit, searching for winning chances. Despite his efforts, Giri defended accurately and demonstrated excellent endgame technique, constructing a solid fortress despite being the exchange down and comfortably securing a draw.

Playing Black against R. Praggnanandhaa, Fabiano Caruana selected the reliable Slav Defence, a choice that appeared to surprise the Indian grandmaster. Caruana managed to obtain a slight positional advantage, highlighted by a well-placed knight on d3, but Praggnanandhaa defended precisely and neutralized every threat before the players agreed to a draw.

The final game in the Open section saw Matthias Bluebaum unveil deep opening preparation against Hikaru Nakamura. By move twenty, Bluebaum had built up a significant advantage on the clock, while Nakamura was forced to calculate accurately to remain in the game. Despite the pressure, Nakamura defended with remarkable precision and eventually secured a draw.

At the halfway stage of the tournament, Javokhir Sindarov remains the clear leader, with Fabiano Caruana trailing by 1.5 points, while the chasing group remains further behind.

In the Women’s Candidates Tournament, the first game to finish was the encounter between Anna Muzychuk and Bibisara Assaubayeva. Playing Black in the Rossolimo Attack, Assaubayeva equalized comfortably and even emerged from the opening with a slight advantage on the clock.

The players agreed to a draw by threefold repetition on move 26. The result allowed Muzychuk to finish the first half of the tournament as the sole leader, while Assaubayeva ended a difficult run by collecting an important half-point after two consecutive defeats.

One of the highest-quality games of the round featured Aleksandra Goryachkina and Zhu Jiner, whose Open Ruy Lopez battle lasted 70 moves. Both players demonstrated exceptional accuracy throughout the game before eventually agreeing to a well-deserved draw.

The most dramatic result came in the game between Tan Zhongyi and R. Vaishali. Tan appeared to have complete control and held a winning advantage for much of the game before making the decisive mistake 37…Ra1??. Vaishali immediately responded with 38.Rxf6!, initiating a tactical sequence that won material and completely reversed the position, allowing the Indian grandmaster to score a crucial victory.

The final game of the day became one of the longest ever played in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. Divya Deshmukh and Kateryna Lagno battled for 135 moves before eventually agreeing to a draw. Divya pressed for victory for much of the marathon encounter, but Lagno defended resourcefully to save the game. Following the exhausting battle, both players reached the tournament rest day with an even score.

Away from the competition hall, spectators also enjoyed a variety of chess activities. Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand conducted a training session for the Cyprus National Chess Team, while Dr. Yevgeny Levanzov presented a lecture titled “Chess & Machines.” On the outdoor terrace, GM Jacob Aagaard entertained chess fans with his lecture, “An Analogue Perspective of the Candidates.”