Candidate: How R Vaishali beat Divya Deshmukh in 31 moves to move into the lead

R Vaishali VS Divya Deshmukh (Photo: Niki Riga)

New Delhi: In the zero-sum world of elite chess, camaraderie between fellow citizens often has to be put on hold on the chessboard. This was evident on Wednesday when India’s two stars R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh faced off in a crucial match of the 9th round of the Women’s Candidates Tournament.A perfect combination of tactical precision and absolute dominance, Vaishali broke down Divya’s defense in just 31 moves and took the joint lead in the women’s category.

Both players entered the day as top players at the table, but FIDE regulations designed to ensure fair play and prevent cheating among fellow players forced the two sides into a confrontation. Divia had just defeated Anna Muzchuk with black pieces and was asked to defend with black pieces again.Complete Rule of VaishaliVaishali opens the game with Réti, waving a white piece. Divya’s ambitious 8…a5 flanking push failed to produce a concrete advantage, allowing Vaishali to establish her pieces on the command square.The game reached a boiling point on move 17; while Divya needed a steady 17…c5 to survive, her choice of 17…Nd7 spelled disaster. Immediately, Vasily pounced with a decisive 18.Nxc6.From that point on, things started to spiral downward for Divya. Under increasing time pressure, the young Indian made a mistake on 21…Rg6, fatally weakening her structure.By move 23, Divya had surrendered two knights, and Vaishali’s final result of 31.Rb7 prompted him to quickly throw in the towel. The victory means that Vasali now has 5.5 points, and she is also tied with China’s Zhu Jin’er.Pragnananda Disappointing againIn the open section, R Praggnanandhaa’s search for a breakthrough remained elusive.Despite a strong start and White’s advantage over Wei Yi, the 20-year-old Indian player was unable to convert his good fortune into a perfect score.The game followed a complex d4 route, with Plagg seemingly maintaining a slight advantage throughout the game.Despite breaking through with 24.Qxf7+ and maintaining continuous initiative, Wei Yi’s defensive tenacity remained strong. After 56 moves, the score was evenly divided and the Indian prodigy was in another frustrating draw.In the Open section, Javokhir Sindarov leads the way with 7/9 points, while back-to-back wins for Anish Giri mean the Dutchman now sits in second place on the leaderboard with 5.5/9 points.FIDE Candidates Round 9 Results – April 8, 2026open part

Women’s group

FIDE Candidates Pairing Round 10 – April 9, 2026open part

Women’s group