Chess Candidate: How Vaishali beat former world champion Chen Liansheng

New Delhi: If you were to poll the global chess community to choose the likely winner of the 2026 FIDE Candidates, the answer would be nearly unanimous: Javokhir Sindarov. The Uzbekistan star’s ruthless efficiency, evidenced by a staggering 6/7 score, shows that his crown is already in measure. However, while the Open seemed a foregone conclusion, the women’s division was thrown into a chaotic arena where experience and titles seemed meaningless.In a field of eight elite female grandmasters, the competition has become a “comedy or tragedy of errors” depending on which side of the board you sit on.

For the Indian team, Sunday’s seventh-round match at the Cape St. George Hotel and Resort in Cyprus brings a huge boost to the points tally. While Vaishali Rameshbabu picked up a win, Divya Deshmukh was unable to convert a win into a full score, which remains a stinging indictment of the Indian camp’s current run of knocks.“The Comedy of Errors” by VaishaliVaishali Rameshbabu defeated former women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi of China for her second consecutive victory this time with a white chess piece. While the scoreline reflected a victory, the road to this point was anything but clinical.Vaishali’s opening choices continued to raise eyebrows and she once again found herself caught in a self-inflicted storm after defending from Pilk before being saved by an incredible error from her opponent. “Vashari adopted a very passive white chess system against Tan Zhongyi’s Pilk defense at the beginning, and by the ninth move, the Chinese team was already in a favorable position,” veteran master Pravin Thipsay told the Times of India in post-match analysis. “Eventually, things got bad. By step 16, things got worse. By step 23, Vaishali was completely at a disadvantage until step 26.”Vaishali started off very aggressively, leading a series of erratic trades that were more advantageous to her opponents. The turning point, however, was not India’s masterstroke but China’s collapse.“On move 27, Tan Zhongyi made an incredible knight move (27…Ne4) which gave Vasari a reasonable chance of a draw, although she continued to be torn apart in the difficult ending. Then came a crucial mistake, 37.Ra1, when Tan Zhongyi lost a complete piece (the bishop on f6), thus handing the game to the Indians. Overall, I think it was a comedy of errors or a tragedy, whatever you want to call it, but too many errors for a candidate campaign,” Tipsey commented.Divya’s 135 Steps to HeartbreakIf Vaishali is lucky, Divya Deshmukh will be the author of her own frustration. Facing Caitlina Ranio, Divia dominated for much of the day.Early in the stump, Tipsay predicted an outright win for the Indians. “Divya was always dominant,” Tipsay noted during the game. “She is a pawn in a position that can win with the right technique. Divya is the rook, bishop and knight pawn, with a bishop of the same color at the end. So, winning shouldn’t be too difficult. But yes, you need some skill. The game will last a long time, but Divya winning is almost certain.”The game did go on for a long time. However, “almost certain” proved to be a curse. In this grueling 135-step marathon, Ranio took full advantage of Divia’s lack of clinical precision and displayed an incredibly tenacious defense.Despite her material advantage, Divya was unable to breach the Russian fortress and in the final moments of the first half, she let a crucial point slip through her fingers.Praggnanandhaa stuck in open sectionIn the open section, India’s lone representative R Praggnanandhaa seemed to have lost his edge. Facing world number three Fabiano Caruana, the 20-year-old Chennai-born master was unable to create any meaningful imbalance. Thipsay summed it up succinctly: “The match between Praggnanandhaa and Fabiano Caruana ended in a draw. Nothing major happened.”The only drama in the Open came from Anish Giri, who managed to put a dent in Zindalov’s winning streak. In order to defend his precarious position, Geary sacrificed the exchange to achieve the theoretical ending.The India Challenge is at a crossroads as players head into their rest day on April 6.While Vaishali (3.5/7) and Divya (3/7) are now within striking distance of leader Anna Muzychuk, their reliance on their opponents’ mistakes and a failure to convert late games into wins suggests their recovery is fragile.For India to emerge as genuine challengers in the final seven overs, the “comedy of errors” must end and the clinical efficiency of the champions must emerge.FIDE Round 7 Candidate Results – April 5, 2026open part

Women’s group

FIDE Candidates Pairing Round 8 – April 7, 2026open part

Women’s group