R. Vaishali Takes Lead in Women's Candidates Tournament; Sindarov Shines in Men's Event

Vaishali Leads Women's Candidates Tournament

R. Vaishali of India has taken the lead in the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament following a solid draw against Anna Muzychuk in Round 10, played in Cyprus. This draw allowed her to secure a half-point advantage over her competitors, particularly after Zhu Jiner faced a significant loss to Bibisara Assaubayeva, which altered the tournament standings considerably.

Looking ahead to Round 11 on Saturday, Vaishali will compete against Goryachkina while Divya Deshmukh will also face Zhu Jiner.

Sindarov's Dominance in Men's Candidates; Praggnanandhaa Struggles

In the Men's Candidates, Javokhir Sindarov maintained his impressive performance by defeating R Praggnanandhaa for the second time in this tournament. The match shifted dramatically during the middlegame when Praggnanandhaa made a critical error. With only four rounds left, he now trails Sindarov by four points, effectively eliminating him from title contention. In his next match on Saturday, Praggnanandhaa will face Matthias Blubaum with the white pieces, a game that seems to hold little significance.

Sindarov is on track to challenge Dommaraju Gukesh for the world championship title. Meanwhile, Anish Giri, Sindarov's closest competitor, also dropped half a point after drawing with Hikaru Nakamura. Divya Deshmukh faced a tough defeat against Aleksandra Goryachkina, leaving her 1.5 points behind the leader, R. Vaishali.

FIDE Candidates 2026 Standings After Round 10

Women's Standings

The standings for the Women's Candidates after Round 10 are as follows: R. Vaishali - 6, Zhu Jiner - 5.5, Anna Muzychuk - 5.5, Kateryna Lagno - 5, Bibisara Assaubayeva - 5, Aleksandra Goryachkina - 5, Divya Deshmukh - 4.5, Tan Zhongyi - 3.5.

Open Standings

The standings for the Open Candidates after Round 10 are: Javokhir Sindarov - 8, Anish Giri - 6, Fabiano Caruana - 5, Hikaru Nakamura - 4.5, Wei Yi - 4.5, Matthias Blubaum - 4.5, R Praggnanandhaa - 4, Andrey Esipenko - 3.5.