R Vaishali faced a big setback against Jiner Zhu on Sunday to leave the Women’s Candidates wide open with just two rounds to go. The tournament will decide the next challenger to reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.
CANDIDATES 2026: FULL REPORT
Vaishali, playing with white pieces, had a chance to take sole control of the order and draw after a good progress of the campaign. However, her aggressive approach to secure the win backfired. Both of her defeats in this event were against Zhu. Vaishali and Zhu now share the lead with 7 points from 12 matches. Meanwhile, Anna Muzychuk missed a crucial opportunity after a costly error allowed Aleksandra Goryachkina to secure a draw in a thrilling match.
Bibisara Assaubayeva dealt a blow to Russia’s hopes when she beat Kateryna Lagno in a strong performance. The Kazakh player is now just half a point behind the joint leaders and remains firmly in contention as the tournament heads into its final stages.
India’s Divya Deshmukh lost to Tan Zhongyi, effectively ending hopes of a podium finish for both players in the Women’s Candidates event. In the Open section, Javokhir Sindarov maintained his dominant form, securing a comfortable draw with world number two Hikaru Nakamura while playing the whites.
With 9 points from 12 matches, Sindarov is close to achieving one of the most significant victories in the history of Candidates tournaments. India’s R Praggnanandhaa also settled for a draw against Andrey Esipenko, reducing his chances. While some opportunity remains, Praggnanandhaa may have to regroup and aim for a better performance in the next cycle.
CANDIDATES 2026: ROUND 12 RESULTS
Round 12 results: Andrey Esipenko (Russian, 4.5 tied with R Praggnanandhaa (Ind, 5); Matthias BLuebaum (Germany, 5) tied with Fabiano Caruana (USA, 6);); Hikaru Nakamura (Usa, 5) drew with Javokhir SIndarov (Uzb, 9) Wei Yi (Chn, 5) playing Anish Giri (Sun, 6.5).
Women: Aleksandra Gorjachkina (Rus, 5.5) tied with Anna Muzychuk (Ukr, 6.5); R Vaishali (Ind, 7) lost to Jiner Zhu (Chn, 7): BIbisara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 6.5) beat Kateryna Lagno (Rus, 5.5); Zhongyi Tan (Chn, 5) beat Divya Deshmukh (Ind, 5).
– The end
Published on:
13 Apr 2026 01:38 IST
