Chess of the Candidates: How Vaishali hit the Chinese wall in round 12 | Chess News –

NEW DELHI: The league system like the favorites has always held its fair share of surprises for every player and India’s Vaishali Rambabu got a cold surprise on Sunday evening at the Cap St George Hotel & Resort in Cyprus.Just twenty-four hours ago, we were celebrating her tactical superiority over Alexandra Goryachkina. It was indeed a win as her speed in trapping the Russian rook gave her a huge one-point lead.On Sunday, those bullets disappeared into thin air. China’s Zhou Jenner, playing with the black pieces, put on a clinical display to astonish Vaishali. In doing so, she registered a 2-0 head-to-head win over the Chennai-born grandmaster in this tournament.

The loss blew the women’s division wide open and left the top of the table in hot water.How Vaishali lost her way in front of Cho JennerThe encounter began with Vaishali choosing the advanced version of Caro-Kann Defense (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5). By the fifth move (5.cxd3), Vaishali has accepted a structural position penetrated by double pawns, a double-edged decision aimed at controlling the center.However, Jenner’s response was patient and surgical.

Tension mounted mid-game as Vaishali struggled to find a concrete plan to break Black’s format. The Chinese Grandmaster began to put pressure on the Queen’s side, and by move 24, the cracks in White’s position had turned into craters.

Jiner’s 24… Nb4 was a particularly powerful blow, forcing Vaishali into a defensive crouch.

d5, but Jenner 27… Nxd5 only paved the way to victory for Black.كانت نهاية اللعبة أمرًا مروعًا للجماهير الهندية. After exactly 30…Rg4, Jenner began a relentless march for her pawn.The game reached an endpoint when Jenner promoted a pawn on g1; After the exchange, the final move 39… Nc3 left Vaishali no choice but to resign as her position disintegrated.

She was now joined by Zhu Jiner at the top with the same score, paving the way for a grandstand finish in the final two rounds.It was a gloomy day for the Indian unit. Divya Deshmukh, who also plays for White, suffered a similar fate, falling to China’s Tan Zhongyi.Open Section: Sindarov approaches the crownWhile the women’s division is defined by high-wire intrigue, the open division is coming to its inevitable end.

Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan tied with Hikaru Nakamura.

When chess returns to the shores of the Mediterranean in the Candidates’ Zone after a rest day on Monday, Sindarov will only have to draw a draw to be officially crowned challenger to De Gukis later this year.India’s R Praggnanandhaa fought hard but only managed to equalize against Andrey Esipenko.Read also: Javokhir Sindarov, D Gukesh’s potential rival for the world championship, decodes sponsorship problems in chessAfter a day of rest, the players will return for Round 13 on April 14.

For Vaishali, the task is daunting. She must regroup and find the form. The lead may be gone, but the championship is still a fight to the finish.FIDE Round 12 Candidates Results – April 12, 2026Open Section (Round 12)Andrey Isipenko 0.5–0.5 R. PrajananandaMatthias Bloboom 0.5–0.5 Fabiano CaruanaJavokhir Sindarov 0.5–0.5 Hikaru NakamuraWei Yi 0.5–0.5 Anish GiriWomen’s Division (Round 12)Anna Muzychuk 0.5-0.5 Alexandra GoryachkinaVaishali Rameshbabu 0–1 Cho JennerDivya Deshmukh 0–1 Tan ChongyiBibisara Asaobaeva 1–0 Katerina LagnoFIDE Candidates Round 13 – April 14, 2026Open Section (Round 13)Wei Yi vs. Andrey IsipenkoAnish Giri vs Javokhir SindarovHikaru Nakamura vs Matthias BloboomFabiano Caruana vs R PraggnanandhaaWomen’s Division (Round 13)Bibisara Assaubayeva vs Anna MuzychukKatrina Lagnu vs Divya DeshmukhTan Zhongyi vs Vaishali RameshbabuZhu Jiner vs Aleksandra Goryachkina