The atmosphere in Cyprus has grown tense for the Indian contingent. In a Round 12 marked by frantic time pressure and crushing tactical setbacks, R. Vaishali’s once-exclusive lead has disappeared. After a winning position collapsed into disaster against China’s Zhu Jiner, the Women’s Candidates has become a four-way race to the finish.
Meanwhile, the Open section is seeing a coronation unfold. Javokhir Sindarov has surged to an astonishing 9 points out of 12, placing him on the brink of the most commanding triumph in Candidates history. For the pursuing group, including Anish Giri and Fabiano Caruana, the battle for first place is now mathematically out of reach.
For most of Sunday, it seemed that R. Vaishali was on course to carry a one-point advantage into the final rest day. With the White pieces in a Caro-Kann, she shattered the center with 27. d5, leaving Zhu Jiner’s back rank immobilized. Computer engines indicated a completely winning position for the Indian Grandmaster.
Yet as the final seconds drained from the clock, the "Vaishali Juggernaut" suddenly stalled. Zhu queened a second time with 38. g1=Q+, and a series of errors under intense time pressure caused her advantage to evaporate. On the other side of the hall, Divya Deshmukh met a similar fate: after maintaining a fortress for 50 moves against former World Champion Tan Zhongyi, a slip on move 57 (Rf5) permitted a decisive queenside breakthrough that dashed her podium ambitions.
In the Open section, the storyline has moved from "who will win" to "by what margin." Javokhir Sindarov efficiently held Hikaru Nakamura to a draw to move to 9 points. With a 2.5-point advantage over Anish Giri and just two rounds left, Sindarov has already clinched the tournament title on mathematical grounds. His run is being praised as the most dominant since the introduction of the modern Candidates format.
For India’s R. Praggnanandhaa, the dream has come to a close. A subdued draw against Andrey Esipenko leaves him on 5 points, with the young player now looking ahead to the 2028 cycle for his next opportunity to make an impact.
The endgame between Divya Deshmukh and Tan Zhongyi starkly illustrated the demanding standard of play at the Candidates. With unyielding accuracy, Tan constructed a mating net in a position that had seemed drawn for more than four hours. Down to just over a minute on her clock, Divya could not withstand the former World Champion’s well-coordinated attack.
Sibling stutter: Both Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa failed to secure wins today, with the younger sibling appearing to have given up hopes in a lackluster draw.
Assaubayeva’s rise: The Kazakh star is the dark horse of the final rounds, sitting just half a point off the leaders after a "finely crafted" win over Kateryna Lagno.
Muzychuk’s miss: Anna Muzychuk allowed a silly mistake to let Aleksandra Goryachkina off the hook, missing a chance to join the 7-point lead.
Rest day: Monday marks the final rest day. When play resumes, Vaishali will have two rounds to reclaim the lead and secure a World Championship match against Wenjun Ju
While Sindarov has effectively sealed victory in the Open section, the Women’s Candidates event has become completely unpredictable. Vaishali’s determination to play for a win in every game turned into her downfall on Sunday, yet she still shares the lead. The final two rounds will be a pure test of nerves: can the Indian rediscover her winning momentum one last time, or will the Chinese Grandmasters finish their takeover?
