Divya Deshmukh (Photo: Yoav Nis) NEW DELHI: If R Praggnanandha’s opening-round win over Dutch No.1 Anish Giri at the Candidates was a manifesto of his aggressive DNA, Round 3 was a flamboyant reminder of the flattering nature of the game.On a day that started with high hopes for the Indian contingent at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Paphos, Cyprus, the scenario soon turned to disaster, only to be saved by a miraculous defensive stand and just a bit of luck from Divya Deshmukh in the women’s section.
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Exclusive Nihal Sarin: 2026 Candidates Predictions, Anish Giri’s ‘Drawish’ Label & More #chess Playing the white pieces for the second time in three days, Praggnanandhaa was expected to put early pressure on 2025 FIDE World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov. Instead, a surprising opening selection and an uncharacteristic lack of bite saw the Chennai-born grandmaster suffer his first defeat of the tournament.A surprising choice in the introductionThe surprise started on the first move. Known for his deadly King’s Pawn (1. e4) attacks, Praggnanandhaa chose to open with the Queen’s Pawn (1. d4), a move that also raised the eyebrows of veteran grandmaster Pravin Thipsay.“Praggnanandhaa started brilliantly by winning the first round with the King’s Pawn opening. Today, playing white against Sindarov, he surprisingly chose the queen’s pawn, which really doesn’t suit his style,” Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com in his post-match analysis.“Praggnanandhaa is a very strong attacking player and the King’s Pawn suits him better. He played the Queen’s Gambit, which leads to a strategic game, but Sindarov played sharply and opened the game with 6…c5. By the 12th move, Sindarov chose 12…Qf5, which is new.”In the battle of the 20-year-olds, the Uzbek youngster dictated the terms while smartly defending with the black pieces. Praggnanandha’s attempt to advance on the queen was met with a brutal tactical response.“I think with 13.Bd3, Praggnanandhaa could have kept dangerous attacking options by sacrificing the pawn (13…dxe3). The sacrifice could have turned out to be very dangerous with 14.OO…Nd4,” explained Thipsay.“Instead, he decided to go with 13.axb4, which allowed his Uzbek opponent to sacrifice the knight (13…Nxb4,14.axb4…Bxb4+) to keep Praggnanandha’s king in the center.”The victim created a complex, unclear position, when the initiative shifted to Sindarov. While the defensive specialist could weather the storm, Praggnanandhaa’s discomfort was evident.“Precise defense is something Gukesh would like to play with White and probably defend,” added Thipsay. “But on move 19, Praggnanandhaa played 19.Qc3, which turned out to be a decisive mistake. It was a very one-sided game where Praggnanandhaa, despite the white pieces, was unable to give a single threat.”By the move of 40, the Indian retired and Sindarov joined Fabian Caruana at the top of the leaderboard with 2.5/3 points.Caruana himself enjoyed the shortest game of the tournament so far, taking advantage of a disastrous mistake by China’s Wei Yi, who resigned on move 19 after trapping his shooter.FIDE Candidates Round 3 Results – March 31, 2026Open the section
- Matthias Blübaum 0.5-0.5 Andrey Espipenko
- R Praggnanandhaa 0–1 Javokhir Sindarov
- Fabiano Caruana 1-0 Wei Yi
- Hikaru Nakamura 0.5-0.5 Anish Giri
Women’s section
- Vaishali Rameshbabu 0.5-0.5 Anna Muzychuk
- Aleksandra Goryachkina 0.5-0.5 Divya Deshmukh
- Zhu Jiner 0-1 Bibisar Assaubayeva
- Tan Zhongyi 0–1 Kateryna Lagno
Miraculous rescue by Divya DeshmukhAfter eight consecutive draws in the first two rounds, the women’s section finally drew blood. Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva, a three-time women’s blitz champion, stunned China’s Zhu Jiner with the black pieces. At the same time, Russia’s Kateryna Lagno defeated China’s Tan Zhongyi to join Bibisara at the top.Amidst these upsets, Divya Deshmukh found herself staring into the abyss against Aleksandra Goryachkina, one of the favorites to win the tournament. Divya was on the ropes for most of the game, battling Goryachkin’s setup for a deep opening and a big positional lead.“After two very boring days in the women’s section, there was a lot of excitement on the third day,” noted Thipsay. “The top seeds went down. Vaishali played a safe game and drew against Anna Muzychuk. Goryachkina was in an extreme lead in the match between Alexandra Goryachkina and Divya Deshmukh and the draw is like a miracle.”That miracle came under time pressure.Goryachkina, usually a clinical finisher, hailing from the Russian school of chess, made a shocking mistake on move 64 with 64.Ra6.Divya briefly returned the favor with 64…Kh7, but Goryachkina’s subsequent blunder, 65.Kf7, took away the Russian grandmaster’s advantage and the longest game of the day ended in a draw after 81 moves.“Goryachkina made a crucial mistake and moved the rook from a7 to a6 and the game was headed for a draw,” explained Thipsay. “Divya has succeeded in avoiding defeat. She is keeping her chances alive with all three draws.”As the dust settled on a chaotic third round, the leaderboard began to break down between leaders and followers. In the Open section, the favorites Caruana and Sindarov soon appeared.In India, attention turns to Round 4, where Praggnanandhaa must recalibrate against Matthias Blübaum, while Divya and Vaishali look to turn their deadlocks into full points.4th Round Pairing – April 1, 2026Open section:
- Espenko vs Giri
- Wei Yi vs Nakamura
- Sindar vs Caruana
- Blübaum vs Praggnanandhaa.
Women’s section
- Muzychuk vs Lagno
- Assaubayeva vs Tan Zhongyi
- Divya vs Zhu Jiner
- Vaishali vs Goryachkina
