New Delhi: The second round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 kicked off in royal style on Monday. Five-time world champion and FIDE Vice-President Viswanathan Anand has taken the ceremonial first step by joining the board of directors of Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali Rameshbabu.It was a fitting start to a clash between two of India’s brightest talents, with many expecting this round to break the opening day deadlock.As it turned out, however, the theme of the day was resilience rather than breakthrough. Each game in the open and women’s categories, held at the Cape St. George Hotel and Resort in Paphos, Cyprus, ended in a draw.
While the Open section took a breather after a tumultuous first day, the Women’s section remains the domain of the Peace Treaty, with all eight games of the championship thus far ending in points.Match of the Day: Divya Deshmukh vs R VasilyThe highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly the all-India battle between Divya and Vaishali. Playing White, Divia established a significant advantage in the post-pawn strategy, reaching a position where she seemed forced to win. “In the women’s category, all the matches ended in draws, just like the first round,” veteran Pravin Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com after the day’s action. “But the games are very interesting; they are not plain or calm. For example, Divya vs. Vaishali. Divya pressured on the queenside, but on move 34, Vaishali decided to exchange knights with 34 instead of the normal 34…b5, which would have resulted in a clear draw...No4. “
Vasiali’s decision was a double-edged sword that almost backfired, but it also set the stage for one of the most dramatic scenes of the tournament so far.“This move could have been very dangerous because after that, Divya was forced to win the position,” Tipsay noted. “But Divya fell into a trap. Vaishali set a very clever trap. On move 37, Divya could have played Qg4, swapped the queen, and kept an extra piece that would have been a total win. Instead, she chose Qg3 to try and trap Vaishali’s queen.”
This was a fatal misjudgment. Vaishali calculated an astonishing resource and immediately turned the situation around.“When Divya thought she was going to win the queen, Vaishali came up with a brilliant queen sacrifice: 40…Qxh3+. She must have seen this scene years ago. Divya had to hand her queen back to the Knight Fork, resulting in a draw with no real chance,” Thipsay added.
“Vaishali’s move 40 must have been planned as early as her move 34. It was a deep combination and Divya must have missed the sacrifice when she played 37.Qg3.”Open part of the strategic phaseIn the open category, Sunday’s fireworks show was replaced by a trial phase. After a clinical victory over Anish Giri, R Praggnanandhaa switched to black against China’s Wei Yi. Play the French defense. Being his recent staple, Prager had a very small advantage, but Wei Yi’s streamlined approach ensured the game never got out of hand. “The second day in the Open saw some boring play,” Tipsey said. “I think the players just made a comprehensive assessment of the style and strength of the other contestants. Wei Yi, for example, didn’t play the most challenging variation against Pragnananda’s French defense. Black had a slight advantage early on, and even at the end, Plagg had an extra piece, but it was of no use. “Elsewhere, Hikaru Nakamura found himself in trouble defending against Andrei Esipenko. Despite being a pawn, Nakamura used his endgame knowledge to save a theoretical draw.“Hikaru Nakamura struggled, but the game was technically a draw,” Tipsey said. “Esipenko had a good understanding of strategy, but he missed calculations and tactics. If you just know this procedure, drawing lots will be easy. “
The top of the Open standings remains crowded as the competition enters its third round. Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana and R Praggnanandhaa are priced at 1.5/2 as they secured a solid draw in their first match.“Three men already lead by a minute and a half,” Tipsay concluded. “I think the players looked at the first half as a solid game. Desperate play could come in the second half. Praggnanandhaa and Caruana seem to have good advantages. After the next five plays in the first half, we’ll have a better idea. “FIDE candidate Round 2 results – March 30, 2026open partAndrei Esipenko 0.5–0.5 Hikaru NakamuraAnish Giri 0.5–0.5 Fabiano CaruanaWeiyi 0.5–0.5 R ExerciseJavokir Zindarov 0.5–0.5 Matthias BruebaumWomen’s groupAnna Muzchuk 0.5–0.5 Tan ZhongyiCaterina Ranio 0.5–0.5 Zhu JinerBibisara Ashobayeva 0.5–0.5 Alexander GoryachkinaDivya Deshmukh 0.5–0.5 Vaishali Ramesh BabuMatching Round 3 – March 31, 2026Open: Bruebaum vs. Esipenko; Pragnananda vs. Zindalov; Caruana vs. Wei Yi; Nakamura vs. Giri.female: Vaishali VS Muzychuk; Goryachkina VS Divia; Zhu Jiner VS Ashobayeva; Tan Zhongyi VS Lagno.
