New Delhi, 06 April (H.S.):

India's Grandmaster R Vaishali notched her second consecutive victory in round seven of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026, defeating Tan Zhongyi to reach four points and claim sole second place.

Vaishali's Tactical Masterclass

The middlegame appeared headed for a draw, but Zhongyi's errors on moves 36-38 (Rc6, Kg7, Ra1) proved costly. Vaishali capitalized with Rxf6 on move 38, winning a pawn and exposing Black's king. Kxf6 further weakened the position, allowing precise coordination for the full point.

Indian Results Mixed

Divya Deshmukh settled for a draw against Kateryna Lagno after building a promising rook endgame advantage, only to repeat checks (Rd8–Rd7+–Rd8) and allow a comeback. In the open section, R Praggnanandhaa pressed Fabiano Caruana but settled for a threefold repetition draw.

Other Key Outcomes

Anna Muzychuk drew Bibisara Assaubayeva to stay atop the women's standings with 4.5/7. Zhu Jiner vs. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Hikaru Nakamura vs. Matthias Bluebaum also ended level. Anish Giri held Javokhir Sindarov, who leads the open section with 6/7. Wei Yi beat Andrey Esipenko for the lone decisive open result.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar