Divya Deshmukh Joins Women’s Lead as R Praggnanandhaa Falters, Javokhir Sindarov Extends Open Lead
Women’s section: A dramatic turnaround by Divya Deshmukh
Divya Deshmukh, the Indian World Cup champion, delivered a remarkable comeback in the women’s section of the Candidates tournament. Facing the overnight leader Anna Muzychuk, Divya Deshmukh turned a position that appeared destined for a draw into a decisive victory, thereby moving into a four‑way tie for first place.
At the conclusion of eight rounds, Divya Deshmukh, Anna Muzychuk, Kateryna Lagno, Zhu Jiner and R Vaishali each hold 4.5 points. The shared lead emerged after Divya Deshmukh equalised the game against Anna Muzychuk, then capitalised on an unforced mistake made by Anna Muzychuk in a queen‑and‑pawns endgame. The error allowed Divya Deshmukh to convert her equaliser into a full point.
R Vaishali, another Indian participant, secured a draw against Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan. That result placed R Vaishali level with Divya Deshmukh, Kateryna Lagno, Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk at the top of the women’s standings after eight games.
The tournament now resembles an open field. Zhu Jiner dealt a knockout blow to the aspirations of Tan Zhongyi, propelling herself to 4.5 points after defeating Tan Zhongyi. Kateryna Lagno also strengthened her position by defeating Aleksandra Goryachkina, a fellow Russian competitor.
Every contender in the women’s section has demonstrated a blend of resilience and tactical awareness. The shared lead reflects a balanced competition where any of the five leaders could potentially pull ahead in the remaining rounds.
Open section: Javokhir Sindarov consolidates a dominant lead
In the open section, Uzbek master Javokhir Sindarov seized the opportunity to extend his commanding lead. Against Andrey Esipenko of Russia, Javokhir Sindarov settled for a draw, thereby raising his total to 6.5 points out of a possible eight.
Javokhir Sindarov’s lead now measures two full points ahead of the nearest rivals, a margin that appears substantial with six rounds still to be contested. The prize pool for the Candidates tournament exceeds a half‑million dollars, and the event also determines the challenger for the reigning world champion D Gukesh later in the year.
Trailing Javokhir Sindarov, Anish Giri of the Netherlands and Fabiano Caruana of the United States occupy the second‑tier positions, both standing two points behind the leader. The gap underscores the difficulty faced by these contenders as they seek to close the distance.
R Praggnanandhaa, Wei Yi of China, Matthias Bluebaum of Germany and Hikaru Nakamura each share fourth place with 3.5 points. Their positions place them a full point above the last‑placed Andrey Esipenko.
R Praggnanandhaa entered the eighth round having previously defeated Anish Giri in the opening round. In the current encounter, Anish Giri, playing with the black pieces, employed the Vienna Variation. The early phases of the game produced a roughly equal position, with Anish Giri holding a marginal advantage that R Praggnanandhaa managed to neutralise.
However, a critical inaccuracy on move 35 by R Praggnanandhaa allowed Anish Giri to unleash a sequence of tactical threats. A subsequent misstep three moves later sealed R Praggnanandhaa’s defeat, marking R Praggnanandhaa’s second loss of the tournament.
In a separate match, Matthias Bluebaum and Wei Yi concluded their game in a draw, each moving to 3.5 points. The result maintained their joint position in the standings.
Hikaru Nakamura, representing the United States, produced a standout performance by defeating his compatriot Fabiano Caruana. The victory represents a significant shift in the dynamic of the open section, as Hikaru Nakamura moves ahead of Fabiano Caruana in the points tally.
Round eight: Detailed results
Open: Anish Giri (Netherlands, 4.5) defeated R Praggnanandhaa (India, 3.5); Hikaru Nakamura (United States, 3.5) defeated Fabiano Caruana (United States, 4.5); Andrey Esipenko (Russia, 2.5) drew with Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan, 6.5); Wei Yi (China, 3.5) drew with Matthias Bluebaum (Germany, 3.5).
Women: Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, 4.5) lost to Divya Deshmukh (India, 4.5); Kateryna Lagno (Russia, 4.5) defeated Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia, 3.5); Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan, 3.5) drew with R Vaishali (India, 4.5); Tan Zhongyi (China, 2.5) lost to Zhu Jiner (China, 4.5).
(With inputs from agencies)
