R Vaishali was the standout performer in Round 9 of the FIDE Candidates Tournament as she beat fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh with a brilliant move to go into joint lead in the women's section on Wednesday.
R Praggnandhaa had to contend with a draw against Wei Yi after being in a good position for a fair bit, before one move brought him back to parity, and possibly ended his World Championship hopes in the Open section.
Going into Round 9, there were five players tied at the top in the Women's Candidate Tournament, but there are only two now as the competitions enters its business end. Vaishali - who won her third match in the last four - is in joint-lead with Zhu Jiner (who got the only other win in the round) at 5.5 points and has put herself in a positive position in what has been a close, unpredictable women's section where only one player is fully out of contention - Tan Zhongyi.
The highlight of the day's all-Indian clash was Vaishali's ploy with her rooks, an exchange sacrifice that forced a resignation from Divya. She first made a rook sacrifice on move 23, and then a second on move 31, which all but ended her compatriot's chances in the match and took her to the top. Divya, on the other hand, is now placed joint-third with 4.5 points.
In Round 10, Vaishali will take on former leader Anna Muzychuk while Divya plays Aleksandra Goryachkina.
FIDE Candidates 2026 Women's Round 9 results
Vaishali beat Divya Deshmukh
Zhu Jiner Zhu beat Kateryna Lagno
Aleksandra Goryachkina drew with Bibisara Assuabayeva
Anna Muzychuk drew with Tan Zhongyi
FIDE Candidates 2026 Women's Standings after Round 9
Zhu Jiner - 5.5
R Vaishali - 5.5
Anna Muzychuk - 5,0
Kateryna Lagno - 4.5
Divya Deshmukh - 4.5
Aleksandra Goryachkina - 4.0
Bibisara Assaubayeva - 4.0
Tan Zhongyi - 3.0
In the Open section, runaway leader Javokhir Sindarov had a second successive draw as he couldn't capitalise on a winning position against Matthias Bluebaum, but his fantastic start to the Candidates means he is comfortably in the lead with 7 points.
For Praggnanandhaa to have a hope of challenging him, he needed outright wins and he had his chances in the match, which he couldn't take. On Move 42, he moved his queen to B4 instead of his pawn and that proved to be a turning point in the match. This misstep brought him down from what was an advantageous position to equality.
Up next, he has an intriguing clash with leader Sindarov which could be a big moment in the competition for him. With five rounds to go, it is mathematically possible but practically impossible for the Indian to make the World Championship match against compatriot D Gukesh, given the terrific lead Sindarov has built.
The only player who could have some chance of catching up is Anish Giri, who beat Fabiano Caruana to go second with 5.5 points. That was the only win in the Open section in Round 9.
FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Round 9 results
Praggnanandhaa R drew with Wei Yi
Fabiano Caruana lost to Anish Giri
Hikaru Nakamura drew with Andrey Esipenko
Matthias Bluebaum drew with Javokhir Sindarov
FIDE Candidates 2026 Open Standings after Round 9
Javokhir Sindarov - 7.0
Anish Giri - 5.5
Fabiano Caruana - 4.5
Hikaru Nakamura - 4.0
Wei Yi - 4.0
R Praggnanandhaa - 4.0
Matthias Blübaum- 4.0
Andrey Esipenko - 3.0