I wasn't too happy to see Sindarov win! - Fabiano Caruana
Fabiano Caruana reflects on his recent victory and the tactical adjustments he is making during a high-stakes tournament.
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QuiqChess
4/4/20262 min read
Caruana’s Candidates Strategy: Preparation and the Pressure of White
In this interview with Theophilus Wait, Director of Operations at Lichess , GM Fabiano Caruana reflects on his recent victory and the tactical adjustments he is making during a high-stakes tournament. He notes a shift in his opening preparation, opting for rare sidelines to surprise opponents despite the inherent risks of playing less objective moves. Caruana expresses some concern over the momentum of Sindarov, whose unexpected success has increased the competitive pressure on the field. Looking ahead, the American player intends to utilize his successive games with the white pieces to maintain an aggressive stance and apply direct pressure. Despite feeling outplayed in previous openings, he remains optimistic about his evolving form and his ability to manage his time more efficiently. Overall, Caruana is focused on a one-game-at-a-time strategy as he navigates the second half of the competition. You can watch the full interview here - Fabiano Caruana: I wasn't too happy to see Sindarov win! | Round 5 | Candidates 2026
Theophilus Wait: Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana, thank you so much for joining us. How does it feel to bounce back now with a bit of a victory?
Fabiano Caruana: It feels good and was very important to win this game, especially since Javokhir [Sindarov] is not slowing down at all.
Theophilus Wait: You have a "double white" situation right now, having just played Bluebaum and facing Esipenko next. Is the plan to try and make the most of that?
Fabiano Caruana: I’m not sure what the "most" is, but I guess I should try to put a bit of extra pressure. With white, the idea is to try and press your opponent directly from the start with some preparation without taking too many risks.
Theophilus Wait: We saw another fresh, funky idea today with Bd2, f4, and Qf3. Do you think this is a bit of a renaissance in your style or an evolution of you as a player?
Fabiano Caruana: I was very happy with the preparation today. It is the kind of stuff I used to do, but it is very hard to pull off these days because players know so much; you have to go really deep into rare sidelines that the opponent won't be ready for. The trade-off is that it is not objectively the best way to play with white. In my previous games, I really didn't like my preparation. Against Sindarov it was bad, and even in my 19-move win, it wasn't the opening—it was just a bit of luck. I felt out-prepared against Wei Yi and under pressure against Anish [Giri], so today was a nice change to not be lower on time for a large part of the game.
Theophilus Wait: What are your thoughts overall on the tournament Javokhir Sindarov is having here?
Fabiano Caruana: He is playing great and getting a lot of chances—you could call it luck, but you’d probably just say he is playing super well. I really didn't expect the result today against Hikaru [Nakamura]. It looked like Hikaru was in his preparation, but then he suddenly thought for an hour and lost. I have to say, I wasn't too happy to see it.
Theophilus Wait: You’ll be hoping for a different result tomorrow, perhaps with Sindarov stumbling against Wei Yi while you face Esipenko. You also have a revenge match against Sindarov coming up soon.
Fabiano Caruana: I can’t control his results. The only result of his I could control was the one I lost. The revenge game is still far away, so I’m not thinking about that; I’ll just try to take it one game at a time and hopefully play well tomorrow.
