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Vaishali nears Women's Candidates crown; Sindarov leads Open section

R Vaishali defeated Aleksandra Goryachkina to strengthen her lead in the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament. With three rounds left, she holds a one-point lead over Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk. In the Open section, Javokhir Sindarov drew his game to extend his lead to a commanding two points. India's R Praggnanandhaa played a draw, while challenger Anish Giri fell further behind.

Key Points: Vaishali leads Women's Candidates, Sindarov tops Open section

  • Vaishali wins with black pieces
  • Leads by a full point
  • Sindarov extends Open lead
  • Praggnanandhaa draws
  • Three rounds remain
2 min read

Vaishali closes in on women's candidates title, Sindarov extends lead in open section

R Vaishali defeats Goryachkina to lead Women's Candidates. Javokhir Sindarov extends lead in Open section. Latest standings and results.

"Vaishali capitalised on a decisive blunder that left Goryachkina's rook trapped, forcing the Russian to eventually concede - ESPN"

New Delhi, April 12

R Vaishali took a significant step toward winning the FIDE Women's Candidates after defeating Aleksandra Goryachkina with the black pieces in Round 11.

Vaishali capitalised on a decisive blunder that left Goryachkina's rook trapped, forcing the Russian to eventually concede, as per ESPN.

R Vaishali, already leading the standings, moved to seven points from 11 games with another crucial win, strengthening her position at the top. Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk are now joint second, a full point behind the Indian, with three rounds remaining.

Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh held Zhu Jiner to a draw with black in her Round 11 game, while Anna Muzychuk shared points with Kateryna Lagno.

Meanwhile, in the open section, India's R Praggnanandhaa drew his match against Matthias Bluebaum with the white pieces, which took his points tally to 4.5.

Javokhir Sindarov, playing with black, drew his long battle against Fabiano Caruana, taking his tally to 8.5 points from 11 games and moving closer to a Candidates victory. Anish Giri, the nearest challenger, stands on 6.5 points after drawing with Andrey Esipenko, leaving him further behind with only a few rounds remaining.

Meanwhile, Hikaru Nakamura, playing with white, also shared the point in his game against Wei Yi.

FIDE Candidates 2026 Women's Standings:

R Vaishali - 7

Zhu Jiner - 6

Anna Muzychuk - 6

Bibisara Assaubayeva - 5.5

Kateryna Lagno - 5.5

Aleksandra Goryachkina - 5

Divya Deshmukh - 5

Tan Zhongyi - 4

FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Standings:

Javokhir Sindarov - 8.5

Anish Giri - 6.5

Fabiano Caruana - 5.5

Hikaru Nakamura - 5

Wei Yi - 5

Matthias Blubaum - 5

R Praggnanandhaa - 4.5

Andrey Esipenko - 4.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a chess fan, this is thrilling. Vaishali capitalizing on a single blunder is top-level chess. The pressure in these final rounds must be immense. Hoping she can hold her nerve for three more games.
P
Priya S
So proud of our girls! Vaishali leading and Divya holding a strong player like Zhu to a draw. We need more coverage of women's sports like this. They are absolute champions! 🏆
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Vikram M
Sindarov seems to be running away with the open section. A 2-point lead with 3 rounds is huge. Respectfully, I wish the coverage focused a bit more on Praggnanandhaa's journey too, not just the leader. He's our future world champion.
R
Rohit P
The standings are getting tense! Vaishali just needs to avoid losses now. Bas, don't take unnecessary risks. Play solid chess. The entire country is cheering for you! 🤞
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Michael C
Interesting to see the global mix at the top. Giri still has a mathematical chance in the open, but Sindarov looks unstoppable. In the women's, it's now Vaishali's title to lose. Great tournament so far.

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