Chess
FIDE Candidates 2026: Divya Deshmukh draws with Vaishali in round 2
R Praggnanandhaa remained in joint lead with a draw in the second round against Wei Yi of China.
Divya Deshmukh played a draw with R Vaishali at FIDE Candidates 2026. (Photo Credits: Michał Walusza, Yoav Nis/ FIDE)
GM Divya Deshmukh played out a draw with GM Rameshbabu Vaishali in an all-Indian second round matchup at FIDE Candidates 2026 in Cyprus on Monday.
The Women's Candidates tournament is proving highly competitive, with all eight players tied on one point after the first two rounds and no decisive results yet.
Divya had the white pieces against Vaishali, in a Queen's Gambit Declined, having a slight advantage in the middle game after Vaishali left one pawn undefended.
However, Divya failed to convert her advantage, as Vaishali bravely sacrificed two pieces to regain the pawn and force a draw after 44 moves.
Pragg remains in joint lead
There was no decisive result in the second round of the Open section, with draws on all four boards, including Praggnanandhaa's draw with Wei Yi of China on top board.
With this, Pragg has remained in joint lead with Fabiano Carauna (USA) and Javokhir Sindarov (UZB), with 1.5 points from the two games.
Pragg played a solid game with the black pieces in the French Defence, successfully neutralising Wei Yi’s attacks and forcing a draw in an equal position with opposite-coloured bishops.
On Tuesday, he will take on the joint leader, Javokhir, in the third round, with the white pieces, and will be willing to maintain his unbeaten record.