India’s R Vaishali kept herself firmly in contention for the title after defeating compatriot Divya Deshmukh in Round 9 of the Women’s Candidates Chess Tournament on Wednesday, drawing level with China’s Jiner Zhu at the top of the standings.
Coming into the round after what had largely been a steady, unspectacular start, Vaishali once again showed her growing authority in the event. She was patient early on against Divya before gradually tightening her grip on the position, eventually converting her advantage to move to 5.5 points from eight games. The result ensured she shares the lead with Zhu with five rounds still to be played.
Vaishali has increasingly looked like a contender with each passing round, shifting gears after the opening phase and pushing for wins. Her victory over Divya not only strengthened her position but also ensured that Indian interest remains very much alive heading into the decisive stages of the tournament.
The race at the top, however, remains closely packed. Former leader Anna Muzychuk is just half a point behind after drawing with Zhongyi Tan. Despite the defeat, Divya stays within touching distance on 4.5 points, alongside Kateryna Lagno and Bibisara Assaubayeva, keeping the contest wide open.
Zhongyi Tan, a former world champion, continues to struggle for momentum and remains the only player yet to hit top form in the field.
In the open section, Anish Giri dealt a significant blow to the chances of pre-tournament favourite Fabiano Caruana, scoring a fine win to move to 5.5 points. Giri’s resurgence has added intrigue to the standings, although he still trails leader Javokhir Sindarov.
Sindarov continued to set the pace, holding Matthias Bluebaum to a hard-fought draw to take his tally to 7 points from nine rounds. The Uzbek Grandmaster remains in control and, with three games still to come with the white pieces, has put himself in a strong position in the race for the title.
Elsewhere, R Praggnanandhaa missed a chance to press home an advantage against Wei Yi. The Indian had built a promising position in the middlegame but was unable to convert, leaving the contest still in progress.
Round 9 results:
Open: Praggnanandhaa (IND, 2) vs Wei Yi (CHN, 3.5) – ongoing; Anish Giri (NED, 5.5) beat Fabiano Caruana (USA, 4.5); Javokhir Sindarov (UZB, 7) drew with Matthias Bluebaum (GER, 4); Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 3) vs Andrey Esipenko (RUS, 2.5) – ongoing.
Women: R Vaishali (IND, 5.5) beat Divya Deshmukh (IND, 4.5); Jiner Zhu (CHN, 5.5) beat Kateryna Lagno (RUS, 4.5); Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS, 4) drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva (KAZ, 4); Anna Muzychuk (UKR, 5) drew with Zhongyi Tan (CHN, 3).
– Ends
