FIDE Candidates 2026: Vaishali jumps to second spot after round 7

Indian Grand Master Vaishali Rameshbabu registered a crucial win in the seventh round of the FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 to move to the second spot in Cyprus on Sunday.

The 24-year-old defeated Tan Zhongyi to be placed just a half-point behind Anna Muzychuk, who continues to lead the standings with 4.5 points.

Divya Deshmukh, who is in third spot with 3.5 points, played one of the longest games in the history of the women’s tournament alongside Kateryna Lagno. The duo battled all the way to move 135 before agreeing to a draw.

Vaishali showed resilience and stayed focused on defending as Tan Zhongyi looked in control for most of the game. The turning point came when Tan blundered and Vaishali quickly capitalised on move 38, winning a piece and turning the match in herr favour.

Meanwhile, Divya held the upper hand for much of the game, pressing persistently for a win. But Lagno managed to hold the position and pressed for a draw.

Elsewhere, Bibisara Assaubayeva drew with Anna Muzychuk in 26 moves while Aleksandra Goryachkina and Zhu Jiner game also ended in a draw in 70 moves.

In the FIDE Candidates Tournament, the clash between R Praggnanandhaa and Fabiano Caruana carried major implications for the second place.

Playing with the black pieces, Caruana chose the solid Slav Defence, which seemed to surprise Praggnanandhaa early on. The Indian took some time but defended well to secure a draw.

At the half-way mark, Praggnanandhaa is tied for 3-4th place with Anish Giri (3.5 points each). Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov (6 points) extended his sole lead with a draw with Netherlands’ Anish Giri. Caruana is in the second spot with 4.5 points.

Wei Yi beat Andrey Esipenko while Matthias Bluebaum-Hikaru Nakamura game ended in a draw.

The eighth round will commence on April 7 after a rest day on Monday.

Round 8

FIDE Candidates

Andrey Esipenko vs Javokhir Sindarov

Wei Yi vs Matthias Bluebaum

Anish Giri vs Praggnanandhaa R

Hikaru Nakamura vs Fabiano Caruana

FIDE Women’s Candidates

Anna Muzychuk vs Divya Deshmukh

Bibisara Assaubayeva vs Vaishali Rameshbabu

Kateryna Lagno vs Aleksandra Goryachkina

Tan Zhongyi vs Zhu Jiner