FIDE Candidates: Vaishali takes lead in women’s event, but Divya loses; Sindarov’s domination continues with win over Praggnanandhaa

R Vaishali went into the sole lead of the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates tournament, after a confident draw with the black pieces against Anna Muzychuk in Round 10. Vaishali was never in any kind of trouble, as she played through an uneventful draw.

Vaishali’s half a point took her to the sole lead, after Zhu Jiner lost to Bibisara Assaubayeva with the black pieces, in what was a significant result for her, as things stand. Divya Deshmukh, meanwhile, suffered a tough loss after a blunder in the endgame against Aleaksandra Goryachkina, which left Divya 1.5 points behind the leader Vaishali.

Things are still tight in the women’s tournament at the Candidates, with the top six players separated by just one point. Zhu and Muzychuk are on 5.5 points, half a point behind the leader Vaishali.

In Round 11 on Saturday, Vaishali will face Goryachkina with the black pieces, while Divya will have the black pieces against Zhu Jiner.

FIDE Candidates 2026 Women’s Round 10 results

Anna Muzychuk 0.5-0.5 R Vaishali

Divya Deshmukh 0.5-0.5 Aleksandra Goryachkina

Bibisara Assaubayeva 1-0 Zhu Jiner

Kateryna Lagno 0.5-0.5 Tan Zhongyi

FIDE Candidates 2026 Women’s Standings after Round 10

1. R Vaishali – 6

2. Zhu Jiner – 5.5

3. Anna Muzychuk – 5.5

4. Kateryna Lagno – 5

5. Bibisara Assaubayeva – 5

6. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 5

7. Divya Deshmukh – 4.5

8. Tan Zhongyi – 3.5

Javokhir Sindarov’s dominance of the 2026 FIDE Candidates continued on Thursday evening, as he beat R Praggnanandhaa for the second time in the tournament, with the Indian making a decisive blunder in the middlegame that cost him. As it stands, with four rounds to go, Praggnanandhaa is four points behind the leader Sindarov, and is effectively out of contention to win the tournament.

Sindarov’s nearest challenger – Anish Giri – dropped half a point too, as he could manage only a draw against a resurgent Hikaru Nakamura. Fabiano Caruana also lost ground on Sindarov, with a draw against Wei Yi, and that means the American is now three points behind the Uzbek at the top of the standings. Without a miracle in the final four rounds, Sindarov is now extremely likely to be the challenger to Dommaraju Gukesh’s world championship crown.

In Round 11 on Saturday, Praggnanandhaa will face Blübaum with the white pieces in what is a fairly inconsequential match. In a big match at the top of the standings, Caruana will face Sindarov with the white pieces. Giri will face Andrey Esipenko with the white pieces.

FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Round 10 results

• Javokhir Sindarov 1-0 R Praggnanandhaa

• Anish Giri 0.5-0.5 Hikaru Nakamura

• Wei Yi 0.5-0.5 Fabiano Caruana

• Andrey Esipenko – Matthias Blübaum

FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Standings after Round 10

1. Javokhir Sindarov – 8

2. Anish Giri – 6

3. Fabiano Caruana – 5

4. Hikaru Nakamura – 4.5

5. Wei Yi – 4.5

6. Matthias Blübaum – 4.5

7. R Praggnanandhaa – 4

8. Andrey Esipenko – 3.5