New Delhi: The second round of FIDE Candidates 2026 began on Monday with royalty. Five-time world champion and FIDE Vice-President Viswanathan Anand took the ceremonial first step by stepping next to the board of Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali Ramesh Babu.It was a fitting start to a clash between two of India’s brightest talents, in a round that many hoped would break the opening day’s deadlock.However, the theme of the day proved to be resilience rather than progress. In both the Open and Women’s categories at the Cape St. Georges Hotel and Resort in Paphos, Cyprus, every game ended in a draw.
While the open section caught its breath after a tumultuous day 1, the women’s section remained a zone of peace accords, with all eight games played so far in the tournament ending in a split point.Game of the Day: Divya Deshmukh Vs R VaishaliThe highlight of the afternoon was undoubtedly the all-India battle between Divya and Vaishali. Playing the white piece, Divya gained a significant advantage in the Queen’s Gambit Declined setup, and reached a position that looked like a must-win. “In the women’s section, all the games ended in a draw like the first round,” veteran grandmaster Praveen Thapse told TimesofIndia.com after the day’s play. “But the games were quite interesting; they were not simple or unusual. For example, Divya vs. Vaishali. Divya was pressing on the queenside, but on move 34, instead of playing the usual 34…b5, which would have led to an obvious draw, Vaishali decided to exchange knights with 34.Number 4.”
Vaishali’s decision was a double-edged sword that almost backfired, but it also set the stage for one of the most dramatic sequences of the tournament so far.“The move could have been really risky because, then, the position was a forcible win for Divya,” Thipse noted. “But Divya fell into a trap. Vaishali laid a very clever trap. On the 37th move, Divya could have played Qg4, exchanged queens, and retained an extra pawn with a completely winning position. Instead, she chose Qg3 to trap Vaishali’s queen.”
It was a fatal miscalculation. Vaishali had calculated a brilliant resource that immediately turned the tables.“Just when Divya thought she was going to win the queen, Vaishali came up with a brilliant queen sacrifice: 40…Qxh3+. He must have seen it quite a while back. Divya had to give back her queen on a night fork, resulting in a dead thread with no real prospects,” Theapse added.
“Vishali’s 40th move would have been planned like her 34th. It was a deep combination, and Divya would have missed the sacrifice by playing 37.Qg3.”A strategic step in the open sectionIn the open category, Sunday’s fireworks were replaced by the elimination stage. After his clinical victory over Anish Giri, R Praganandha turned to the black pieces against China’s Wei Yi. Playing the French defense. A highlight of his recent repertoire, Prague held a very narrow lead, but Wei Yi’s effortless style ensured the game never got out of hand. “The open side saw some boring games on the second day,” Thipse remarked. “I think the players were just making an overall assessment of the style and strength of the other participants. For example, Wei Yi didn’t play the hardest variation against Pragnandha’s French defence. Black soon had a slight upper hand, and even at the end, Prague had an extra pawn, but it was no use.”Elsewhere, Hikaru Nakamura found himself on the defensive against Andre Espanco. Despite being a pawn, Nakamura leveraged his endgame knowledge to salvage a theoretical draw.“Hikaru Nakamura was struggling, but the game was a theoretical draw,” Thipse said. “Esipenko has a good sense of strategy, but he lacks calculation and strategy. If Hikaru knows the procedure, it’s a pretty easy draw.”
As the tournament moves into Round 3, the Open Section leaderboard remains at the top. Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana, and R Pragnanandaa all sit at 1.5/2, following their opening wins with solid draws.“Three guys are already ahead with one and a half points,” Thipse concluded. “I think the players are looking for a solid first half. A disappointing game will likely come in the second half. Praganandha and Karvana seem to have a good lead. We’ll have a much better idea after the next five games of this first half.”FIDE Candidate Round 2 Results – 30 March 2026Open the section.Andre Espinco 0.5–0.5 Hikaru NakamuraAnish Gray 0.5–0.5 Fabiano CaruanaV Yi 0.5–0.5 R Praganananda0.5–0.5 Matthias blobumWomen’s sectionAnna Mozichak 0.5–0.5 tan zhongiCatrina ligno 0.5–0.5 Zhu genBibisara Assaubayeva 0.5–0.5 Aleksandra GoryachkinaDivya Deshmukh 0.5–0.5 Vaishali Ramesh BabuRound 3 Pairings – 31st March 2026open: Blübaum v. Esipenko; Praganananda v. Sandroof; Caruana v. Wei Yi; Nakamura vs. Gray.Women: Vaishali v. Mozychak; Gurichkina vs. Divya; Zhu Jin vs. Isao Baifa; Tan Zhongi v. Ligno.
