NEW DELHI: If you were to poll the world chess community about the likely winner of FIDE Candidates 2026, the answer would be almost unanimous: Javakhir Sundarov. The Uzbek sensation’s ruthless performance, evidenced by a staggering 6/7 score, suggests that a crown is already being measured for his head. Yet, while the open section feels like a foregone conclusion, the women’s category has descended into a chaotic field where experience and titles matter less.With a field of eight elite female grandmasters, the tournament has become a “comedy or tragedy of errors,” depending on which side of the board you sit on.
For the Indian contingent, Round 7 at the Cape St. Georges Hotel and Resort in Cyprus saw a huge boost in the points table on Sunday. While Vaishali Ramesh Babu grabbed the victory handed to her in a clap, Divya Deshmukh’s failure to convert a certain win into a full point is a harsh indictment of the Indian camp’s current finishing touch.Vaishali’s ‘Comedy of Errors’Vaishali Ramesh Babu, this time playing with the white pieces, defeated former women’s world champion Tan Zongyi of China for her second straight win. While the scoresheet reflected the win, the road to the point was anything but clinical.Vaishali’s early choices continue to raise eyebrows, as she follows the Perak defence, once again finding herself reeling in a whirlwind before being saved by her opponent’s incredible error. “Vishali opened with a very passive system with white pieces against Tan Zhongyi’s paric defense, and by the move of nine, the Chinese were already in an advantageous position,” veteran grandmaster Praveen Thipse told TimesofIndia.com in his postgame analysis. “Finally, things got worse. By move 16, it got a lot worse. And by move 23, Vaishali was in a complete losing position by move 26.”Vaishali started off very aggressively, leading a haphazard series of trades, which greatly favored his opponent. However, the turning point was not the Indian masterstroke, but the Chinese meltdown.“On the 27th move, Tan Zhongyi made an incredible knight move (27…Ne4) that led to decent drawing chances for Vaishali, although she kept breaking while defending a difficult end. And then there was a crucial mistake, 37.Ra1 by Tan Zhongyi lost a complete piece (the bishop on f6) and thus handed the game to the Indian on the plate. All in all, I think a comedy of errors or a tragedy of errors, whatever you call it, but there are too many errors for a candidate event,” Thipse commented.Divya’s 135 moves heartbreakIf Vaishali was lucky, Divya Deshmukh was the architect of her own disappointment. Facing Kateryna Lagno, Divya held a commanding position for the better part of the day.At the start of the penultimate game, Thipse had predicted an outright win for the Indian. “Divya was always in a commanding position,” Thipse noted during the match. “He’s a pawn and, with the right technique, this position can end in a win. Divya is a pawn that ends up with bishops of the same suit, bishop and knight end up with bishops of the same suit. So it shouldn’t be too difficult to win. But yes, you need some technique. The game will go on for a long time, but Divya’s win is almost certain.”The game went on for a really long time. However, “almost certainly” turned out to be a curse. In a grueling 135-move marathon, Ligno displayed incredibly strong defense, taking advantage of Divya’s lack of clinical accuracy.Despite the material advantage, Divya was unable to break down the Russian’s fort, letting a crucial point slip through her fingers in the final moments of the first half of the tournament.Praganandha freezes in the open.In the open section, India’s lone representative R Praganandha has lost his kata. Facing world No. 3 Fabiano Caruana, the 20-year-old Chennai-born grandmaster failed to create any meaningful imbalance. Thipsay’s summary was brief: “The game between Pragnanandaa and Fabiano Caruana ended in a draw. Nothing much happened.”The lone drama in the open category came from Anish Giri, who managed to halt Sandroof’s winning streak. Gray, defending an uncertain position, sacrificed exchange to reach a theoretically designed end.As the players head for the rest day on April 6, the Indian challenge stands at a crossroads.While Vaishali (3.5/7) and Divya (3/7) are now within striking distance of leader Anna Muzyczak, their reliance on opponent errors and inability to convert winning endgames suggests a fragile resurgence.For India to emerge as a genuine challenger in the final seven rounds, the “humor of mistakes” must end, and the clinical performance of a champion must emerge.FIDE Candidates Round 7 Results – 5th April 2026Open the section.
- Andre Espinco 0-1 V Yee
- Javakhir Sandroof 0.5–0.5 Anish giri
- Matthias Blübaum 0.5–0.5 Hikaru Nakamura
- R Pragnananandhaa 0.5–0.5 Fabiano Caruana
Women’s section
- Anna Muzichak 0.5–0.5 B. Besara Isaubaifa
- Divya Deshmukh 0.5–0.5 Kateryna Lagno
- Vaishali Ramesh Babu 1-0 Tan Zongi.
- Alexandra Gurichkina 0.5–0.5 zo gen
FIDE Candidate Round 8 Pairing – 7 April 2026Open the section.
- Andrey Espinko vs. Javkhir Sundarov
- Wei Yi v. Matthias Blübaum
- Anish Giri vs. R. Praganananda
- Hikaru Nakamura vs. Fabiano Caruana
Women’s section
- Anna Muzichak Vs Divya Deshmukh
- B Besara Asobaifa Vs Vaishali Ramesh Babu
- Katerina Ligno vs. Alexandra Gurichkina
- Tan Zhongyi vs. Zhou Jin
