Chess Candidate: How Miracle Saved Divya Deshmukh and India from Third Round Disaster

Divya Deshmukh (Photo: Yoav Nis)

New Delhi: If R Praggnanandhaa’s first-round win over Netherlands’ number one Anish Giri in the Candidates’ Round was a declaration of his aggressive DNA, the third round was a gorgeous reminder of the endearing nature of the game.The Indian team started off with high hopes at the Cape St. George Hotel and Resort in Paphos, Cyprus, but it soon turned into a disaster, with only miraculous fielding and a bit of luck from Divya Deshmukh in the women’s section saving the day.

Pragnananda, playing white for the second time in three days, was expected to put early pressure on 2025 FIDE World Cup champion Javorkir Zindarov. Instead, a surprising opening choice and an uncharacteristic lack of bite saw the Chennai-born maestro suffer his first defeat of the tournament.A surprising choice for the openingThe surprise starts from the first step. Praggnanandhaa, known for his deadly king-pawn (1.e4) attack, chose to open with the queen-pawn (1.d4), a move that also caused the dissatisfaction of veteran master Pravin Thipsay.“Praggnanandhaa started very well and won the first round by opening with the king piece. Today, against Zindalov on white, he surprisingly chose the queen piece, which does not suit his style,” Tipsay told TimesofIndia.com in a post-match analysis.

“Praggnanandhaa is a very strong offensive player and the king’s pawn suits him better. He played the queen’s pawn, which led to a strategic play, but Zindarov played quickly and opened the game with 6…c5. By move 12, Zindarov chose 12…Qf5, This is a novel thing. “In the 20-year-old duel, the Uzbek youngster gave orders while deftly defending with black pieces. Pragnananda tried to advance towards the rear flank but was met with a brutal tactical response.“I think with 13.Bd3, Praggnanandhaa can keep a dangerous attack possibility alive by sacrificing a piece (13…dxe3). With 14.OO…Nd4, this sacrifice could prove to be very dangerous,” Thipsay explained.“Instead, he chose to play 13.axb4, allowing his Uzbek opponent to sacrifice a knight (13…Nxb4,14.axb4…Bxb4+) to keep Praggnanandhaa’s king in the middle.”This sacrifice created a complex, unclear situation in which the initiative shifted to Zindarov. While the defensive maven may have weathered the storm, Pragnananda’s discomfort was palpable.“Accurate defense is something Gukesh likes to play with White and will probably defend,” Tipsay added. “But on move 19, Pragnananda played 19.Qc3, which turned out to be a decisive mistake. It was a very one-sided game, and although Pragnananda had white, he was unable to offer any threat.”

By the 40th move, the Indian retired and Zindalov joined Fabiano 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 catastrophic error from China’s Wei Yi, who resigned on move 19 after leaving his bishop stranded.FIDE Candidate Round 3 Results – March 31, 2026open part

Women’s group

Divya Deshmukh’s miracle saveAfter eight consecutive draws in the first two rounds, the women’s team finally saw blood. Three-time women’s blitz champion Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan beat China’s Zhu Jin’er with black. At the same time, Russian player Kateryna Lagno defeated Chinese player Tan Zhongyi and tied for first place with Bibisara.Amid these frustrating circumstances, Divya Deshmukh found herself in deep trouble against Aleksandra Goryachkina, one of the favorites to win the tournament. Divia was in trouble for most of the game, struggling against Goryachkina’s deep opening preparation and huge positional lead.“After two very dull days in the women’s division, there were a lot of disturbing situations on day three,” Tipsey noted. “The top seed is out. Vaishali played a safe match and drew with Anna Muzchuk. Goryachkina had a huge lead in the match between Alexandra Goryachkina and Divya Deshmukh, and the draw was like a miracle.”This miracle came under time pressure.Goryachkina from the Russian Chess School, usually a clinical finisher, made a shocking mistake on move 64 with 64.Ra6.

Although Divya briefly retaliated with 64…Kh7, Goryachkina’s subsequent error of 65.Kf7 evaporated the Russian grandmaster’s advantage and the longest game of the day ended in a draw after 81 moves.“Goryachkina made a decisive mistake, moving her rook from a7 to a6, and the game went to a draw,” Thipsay explained. “Divya managed to avoid defeat. She kept her chances alive despite draws in all three games.”As the dust settles on a chaotic third round, the leaderboard begins to divide into leaders and followers. In the open section, favorites Caruana and Zindarov appeared early.For Team India, the focus turns to the fourth round where Praggnanandhaa will have to reset against Matthias Blübaum while Divya and Vaishali will look to turn their stalemate into a full point.Matching Round 4 – April 1, 2026Open section:

Women’s group