Chess Candidates: R Praggnanandhaa wastes his best chance to win | Chess News –

New Delhi: You read that right. R Praggnanandhaa, India’s lone representative in the Open division, wasted arguably his best opportunity to record his second win in the Candidates Championship on Friday at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort.

Instead, the 2741-rated Grandmaster chose to settle for a scoreless draw, his third of the tournament.After Round 5, the leaderboard paints a great picture of those participating in the race. Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov dominated the field, winning four of his five matches and drawing the other. However, with nine rounds remaining, it is still too early to conclude that his impressive run will translate into the title contender and earn him the right to challenge defending champion De Jokiss for the world title later this year.

In such a scenario, players like Pragnananda need to take advantage of winning chances to stay within striking distance of the leader. Friday presented one such opportunity. Facing Andriy Isipenko, who is still winless in the tournament, the Indian had the advantage of playing with white pieces, giving him the initiative to move first and determine the course of the match.

Isipenko, who has a rating of 2698 and is known for being inaccurate at times under pressure, is among the lowest-rated players in the elite eight-man squad.

Playing as a white player after a day off, Pragnananda looked in good shape even before the first move, especially against an opponent who many consider the weak link in the fight.Once the match started, the 20-year-old chose to open Réti. By move 10, both players have exchanged knight and pawn.

Praggnanandhaa’s 12.Ba6 was followed by a drop to 19.Bd3, indicating a lack of clear attacking prospects.

It was particularly surprising to see Pragnananda struggle to make any meaningful progress, given his reputation as one of the most clinical attacking players in the circle with white pieces.With neither side able to make meaningful breakthroughs, either on the wings or through the centre, the game quickly drifted into the balance.The early exchanges remained the only significant physical deals, and with little imbalance on the board, neither player pushed for complications.In the end, a triple repetition resulted in the match ending in a draw after 31 moves, a result that would feel like a missed opportunity for a player like Pragnanananda.Intention Results of the fifth round for candidates – April 3, 2026

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The situation was more difficult for his elder sister Vaishali Rambabu, who suffered her first defeat in the women’s candidates campaign against China’s Zhou Jenner.Playing with black pieces, Vaishali faced a King’s Pawn opening that quickly moved into the Italian game.She chose a knightly defense system, one that had been implemented in her previous round against Aleksandra Goryachkina, even though Vaishali was with the white pieces at the time.This time, Zhu steadily built up the pressure, advancing on the queen side and simultaneously improving the piece coordination in the center.

Two simple errors from Vaishali (15…f5 and 16…Nc5) weakened her position, allowing Zhu to seize a slight but lasting advantage.As pieces were gradually exchanged, the Vaishali King became increasingly exposed in the centre, especially after 27.Ke6.While the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss winner has not made any critical mistakes, that position has become progressively more difficult to defend. With Zhu maintaining better coordination and the king’s safety, Vaishali was eventually forced to resign on move 62.Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh, the other Indian in the women’s division, managed to pin Tan Chong Yi to a tough draw with the black pieces.

The game, in which the Queen’s Gambit was rejected, lasted 45 moves and saw much more action than the Praggnanandhaa encounter in the Open Division.Divya attempted to create imbalances through active rook, knight, and queen maneuvers in the mid-game, putting pressure on Tan’s position. However, with neither side able to convert their chances into a decisive breakthrough, the players eventually agreed to share the point. Given the strength of her opponent and her loss in the previous round to Zhou Jenner, a draw would be a morale for the young Indian.Read also: R Praggnanandhaa’s Unseen Moment: The Making of Vaibhav SuriFIDE Women’s Candidates Round 5 Results – April 4, 2026

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