Candidates Chess: R Praggnanandhaa wastes his best chance to score win | Chess News – The Times of India
NEW DELHI: You read that right. R Praggnanandhaa, India’s lone representative in the Open section, arguably squandered the best opportunity to score his second win at the Candidates Tournament on Friday at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort. Rather, the 2741-rated Grandmaster chose to settle for a lifeless draw, his third of the tournament.After Round 5, the leaderboard paints a formidable picture for those in the race. Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan has stamped his authority on the field, winning four of his five games and drawing the other. However, with nine rounds still to be played, it remains far too early to conclude that his remarkable run will translate into the Candidates title and earn him the right to challenge reigning champion D Gukesh for the world title later this year.
In such a scenario, players like Praggnanandhaa need to capitalise on winning chances to stay within touching distance of the leader. Friday presented one such opportunity. Facing Andrey Esipenko, who remains a winless soul in the tournament, the Indian had the advantage of playing with the white pieces, giving him the initiative of moving first and dictating the flow of the game.Esipenko, rated 2698 and known for occasional inaccuracies under pressure, is among the lower-rated players in the elite eight-grandmaster line-up. Playing with whites on the back of a rest day, Praggnanandhaa appeared well-placed even before the first move, especially against an opponent many consider the weak link in the fray.As soon as the game began, the 20-year-old opted for the Réti Opening. By move 10, both players had exchanged a knight and a pawn. Praggnanandhaa’s 12.Ba6 was followed by a retreat to 19.Bd3, indicating a lack of clear attacking prospects. It was particularly surprising to see Praggnanandhaa struggle to make any meaningful breakthrough, given his reputation as one of the most incisive attacking players in the circuit with the white pieces.With neither side managing to create meaningful breakthroughs, either on the flanks or through the centre, the game quickly drifted into equilibrium.The early exchanges remained the only significant material trades, and with little imbalance on the board, neither player pressed for complications.Eventually, a threefold repetition saw the game end in a draw after 31 moves, a result that will feel like a missed opportunity for a player of Praggnanandhaa’s ilk.FIDE Candidates Round 5 Results – April 3, 2026
- R Praggnanandhaa 0.5–0.5 Andrey Esipenko
- Fabiano Caruana 1–0 Matthias Blübaum
Hikaru Nakamura 0–1 Javokhir Sindarov- Anish Giri 0.5–0.5 Wei Yi
FIDE Candidates Round 6 Pairings – April 4, 2026
- Fabiano Caruana vs. Andrey Esipenko
- Hikaru Nakamura vs. R Praggnanandhaa
- Anish Giri vs. Matthias Blübaum
- Wei Yi vs. Javokhir Sindarov
The situation was more difficult for his elder sister, Vaishali Rameshbabu, who suffered her first defeat of the Women’s Candidates campaign against China’s Zhu Jiner.Playing with the black pieces, Vaishali faced a King’s Pawn opening that soon transposed into the Italian Game.She opted for the Two Knights Defence, a system played in her previous round against Aleksandra Goryachkina, even though Vaishali was with the white pieces back then.This time, Zhu steadily built pressure, advancing on the queenside and simultaneously improving piece coordination in the centre. Two minor inaccuracies from Vaishali (15…f5 and 16…Nc5) weakened her position, allowing Zhu to seize a slight but lasting advantage.As pieces were gradually exchanged, Vaishali’s king became increasingly exposed in the centre, particularly after 27.Ke6.While the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss winner did not commit any major blunders, the position became progressively difficult to defend. With Zhu maintaining better coordination and king safety, Vaishali was eventually forced to resign on move 62.Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh, the other Indian in the women’s section, held Tan Zhongyi to a hard-fought draw with the black pieces. The game, a Queen’s Gambit Declined, lasted 45 moves and featured significantly more activity than the Praggnanandhaa encounter in the Open section.Divya attempted to create imbalances through active rook, knight and queen manoeuvres in the middlegame, putting pressure on Tan’s position. However, with neither side able to convert their chances into a decisive breakthrough, the players eventually agreed to split the point. Given the strength of her opponent and her loss in the previous round against Zhu Jiner, the draw will serve as a morale-boosting result for the young Indian.ALSO READ: R Praggnanandhaa’s invisible second: The making of Vaibhav SuriFIDE Women’s Candidates Round 5 Results – April 4, 2026
- Aleksandra Goryachkina 0.5–0.5 Anna Muzychuk
- Zhu Jiner 1–0 Vaishali Rameshbabu
- Tan Zhongyi 0.5–0.5 Divya Deshmukh
- Kateryna Lagno 1–0 Bibisara Assaubayeva
FIDE Women’s Candidates Round 6 Pairings – April 4, 2026
- Zhu Jiner vs. Anna Muzychuk
- Tan Zhongyi vs. Aleksandra Goryachkina
- Kateryna Lagno vs. Vaishali Rameshbabu
- Bibisara Assaubayeva vs. Divya Deshmukh
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