New Delhi, 31 March (H.S.):

India's Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa maintained his joint lead with a solid draw against China's Wei Yi in Round 2 of the FIDE Candidates 2026 on Monday showcasing precise defense in a Petroff setup to neutralize threats and split the point after his Round 1 win over Anish Giri.

In the women's section Divya Deshmukh pressed R Vaishali with knight maneuvers but Vaishali's composure under severe time pressure just 30 seconds increment forced a draw boosting her morale while Divya rued a missed opportunity.

All Draws in Calm Round

Open section saw Matthias Bluebaum-Javokhir Sindarov Fabiano Caruana-Anish Giri Hikaru Nakamura-Andrey Esipenko end level while women's Zhu Jiner escaped Bibisara Assaubayeva's edge for a draw.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar