April 10, New Delhi – Indian chess grandmaster R Vaishali took the sole lead in the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates tournament after a confident draw against Anna Muzychuk in Round 10, playing with the black pieces.
Vaishali never faced any real pressure, as the game ended in a draw with no significant developments. Her half-point gave her the lead after Zhu Jiner lost to Bibisara Assaubayeva with the black pieces, which was a significant result given the current standings.
Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh suffered a tough loss due to a mistake in the endgame against Aleksandra Goryachkina, leaving her 1.5 points behind leader Vaishali. The standings remain tight in the women's Candidates tournament, with the top six players separated by just one point. Zhu and Muzychuk are on 5.5 points, half a point behind Vaishali.
In Round 11 on Saturday, Vaishali will face Goryachkina with the black pieces, while Divya will also have the black pieces against Zhu Jiner. Javokhir Sindarov continued his dominance in the 2026 FIDE Candidates tournament, defeating R Praggnanandhaa for the second time in the competition in the open section.