FIDE Candidates 2026: All Games End in Draws as Divya-Vaishali Battle Steals Show

FIDE Candidates 2026 Second Round: Royal Start Leads to Universal Draws

The second round of the prestigious FIDE Candidates 2026 tournament commenced with a regal touch on Monday, as five-time world champion and FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand performed the ceremonial first move on the board of Indian talents Divya Deshmukh and Vaishali Rameshbabu. This symbolic gesture set the stage for a day of high-stakes chess at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Paphos, Cyprus.

Resilience Over Breakthrough: A Day of Strategic Standoffs

Contrary to expectations of decisive results following the opening day, the theme of Round 2 was one of unwavering resilience. Across both the Open and Women's categories, every single game concluded in a draw. This outcome highlighted the intense strategic balance among the world's elite players.

In the Women's section, the trend of peaceful resolutions continued, with all eight games played so far in the tournament ending in split points. Veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay emphasized to TimesofIndia.com that while the results were draws, the games were far from uneventful.

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Game of the Day: Divya Deshmukh vs Vaishali Rameshbabu

The undisputed highlight of the afternoon was the captivating all-Indian duel between Divya Deshmukh, playing White, and Vaishali Rameshbabu. Divya established a significant advantage in a Queen's Gambit Declined setup, reaching a position that analysts believed was a forced win.

Grandmaster Thipsay detailed the critical turning point: "On move 34, instead of playing the normal 34...b5 towards an obvious draw, Vaishali decided to exchange knights with 34...Ne4. That move could have been really dangerous because the position became a forced win for Divya."

However, Divya fell into a meticulously set trap. On move 37, she opted for Qg3 instead of the winning Qg4, aiming to trap Vaishali's queen. This proved to be a fatal miscalculation.

Vaishali executed a spectacular queen sacrifice with 40...Qxh3+, a move she had likely foreseen several turns earlier. Thipsay explained, "Divya had to give back her queen to a knight fork, leading to a drawn rook ending with no real chances. Vaishali's 40th move must have been planned as far back as her 34th. It was a deep combination."

Open Section: A Strategic Pause After Volatile Start

The Open category experienced a noticeable shift from Sunday's explosive games to a more measured, feeling-out phase. Following his decisive victory over Anish Giri, India's R Praggnanandhaa adopted the Black pieces against China's Wei Yi, employing his trusted French Defence.

Thipsay observed, "Day two in the open section saw some sort of boring games. I think players were just taking an overall review of the style and strength of the other participants." Praggnanandhaa secured a slight edge, but Wei Yi's simplified strategy neutralized any significant threats, resulting in a draw despite Praggnanandhaa holding an extra, albeit useless, pawn in the endgame.

In another notable match, Hikaru Nakamura demonstrated his endgame prowess to secure a theoretical draw against Andrey Esipenko, despite being a pawn down. Thipsay noted Esipenko's strategic understanding but pointed out his occasional lapses in tactical calculations.

Leaderboard and Looking Ahead

As the tournament progresses to Round 3, the Open section leaderboard remains tightly contested at the top. Javokhir Sindarov, Fabiano Caruana, and R Praggnanandhaa all share the lead with 1.5 points out of 2, each following an opening win with a solid draw.

Thipsay concluded, "Three people are already leading with one and a half points. I think players are looking at the first half as something to play steadily. The desperate play will likely come in the second half. Praggnanandhaa and Caruana seem to have a good edge."