NEW DELHI: After the relative calm of Monday’s rest day, where some players were out on the court playing padel, the storm returned to the boards at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort in Cyprus with a hint of vengeance. Tuesday’s Round 8 of the FIDE Candidates 2026 proved that in a 14-round marathon, rest often acts as a catalyst for chaos rather than composure.While the Indian camp celebrated a massive win for Divya Deshmukh that catapulted her to the top of the Women’s leaderboard, the Open section witnessed the near-total collapse of the nation’s premier hope, R Praggnanandhaa.In the Open section, Hikaru Nakamura finally found his stride, dismantling countryman Fabiano Caruana with ruthless efficiency. Simultaneously, Anish Giri exacted clinical revenge for his Round 1 defeat by crushing Praggnanandhaa.
However, the day’s most jaw-dropping drama unfolded in the Women’s section, where the leaderboard was set on fire in a matchup between Divya Deshmukh and the tournament leader, Anna Muzychuk.Muzychuk, who wasn’t even supposed to be in Cyprus, having entered as a last-minute replacement for Indian veteran Koneru Humpy, had played the role of the invincible shield until Tuesday. But a series of inexplicable lapses against Divya saw her crown slip.With wins for Divya, Zhu Jiner, and Kateryna Lagno, the Women’s section has transformed into a five-way pile-up at the top, with Divya and Vaishali Rameshbabu among the co-leaders at 4.5/8 points.A massive win for DivyaWhile Divya Deshmukh’s climb to the top looks impressive on the standings, veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay feels that the win owed more to Muzychuk’s sudden lack of oxygen than to Indian tactical brilliance.“Anna played quite well. By move 40, it seemed that Divya was in serious difficulties,” Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com in his post-game analysis. “A loss (for Divya) would have been a normal result under the normal circumstances.” The game turned on a dime when the Ukrainian veteran appeared to suffer a psychological blackout.“However, Muzychuk completely lost her way when she decided to give her strongest point in her position, the pawn on h6. By playing 43.Qh5, I think Muzychuk could have retained a huge advantage, if not winning. But with her retreat Qe2 on the 43rd move, it became a drawish position after Divya eliminated the strong enemy pawn (with 43…Qxh6).”Thipsay was particularly surprised by the lack of technical discipline at this level.“When Muzychuk gave her a strong h6 pawn, I think her winning chances became nil. But the decisive mistake came on move 59 when she pushed the other pawn, the a6 pawn, to a7, and at this stage, without realising that a6 was the only strong point in her position. And by giving up this pawn (with 59…Qxa7), Muzychuk got into a lost position. It was surprising that she first gave up her h6 pawn, and then subsequently the a6, the passed pawn, which was the only threat for black.“In a Queen and Pawn(s) endgame, Divya had a slight advantage of an extra pawn. And keeping an astute structure, she forced Muzychuk to resign by her 83rd move, handing her first defeat in the tournament.Praggnanandhaa’s hopes up in smokeIf Divya’s performance brought smiles to Indian faces, R Praggnanandhaa’s performance was a masterclass in self-destruction.The Chennai Grandmaster, who started the tournament by beating Anish Giri, was on the receiving end of a brutal lesson in the return leg. “Though Praggnanandhaa had almost equalised by move 34, I think inaccurate moves, starting with 35.Qf7 and then 38.h5, turned out to be the decisive mistake,” Thipsay explained.“The entire sequence of moving the queen to the king’s side and then advancing the king’s side pawn, weakening the king, turned out to be disastrous. So with this loss, it’s probably impossible for Praggnanandhaa to emerge as the challenger for the World Championship title.”Lukewarm Vaishali and the road aheadMeanwhile, R Vaishali’s day was characterised by a lack of punch. Despite having an extra pawn against Bibisara Assaubayeva, she failed to convert the advantage. Thipsay noted, “Vaishali seemed to get some advantage against Bibisara Assaubayeva. The advantage of an extra pawn was not good enough to win, as the position was a theoretical draw. Vaishali tried her best, but her opponent played reasonably well, and nothing could be achieved.”As the tournament moves into Round 9, the spotlight shifts to an all-Indian civil war in the Women’s section. It will be Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Divya Deshmukh. Both are co-leaders, but only one can afford to maintain this momentum.In the Open section, Praggnanandhaa must now play for pride, as his path to the crown has been effectively blocked.FIDE Candidates Round 8 Results – April 7, 2026Open SectionAndrey Esipenko 0.5–0.5 Javokhir SindarovWei Yi 0.5–0.5 Matthias BlübaumAnish Giri 1–0 R PraggnanandhaaHikaru Nakamura 1–0 Fabiano CaruanaWomen’s SectionAnna Muzychuk 0–1 Divya DeshmukhBibisara Assaubayeva 0.5–0.5 Vaishali RameshbabuKateryna Lagno 1–0 Aleksandra GoryachkinaTan Zhongyi 0–1 Zhu JinerFIDE Candidates Round 9 Pairings – April 8, 2026Open SectionHikaru Nakamura vs Andrey EsipenkoFabiano Caruana vs Anish GiriR Praggnanandhaa vs Wei YiMatthias Blübaum vs Javokhir SindarovWomen’s SectionTan Zhongyi vs Anna MuzychukZhu Jiner vs Kateryna LagnoAleksandra Goryachkina vs Bibisara AssaubayevaVaishali Rameshbabu vs Divya Deshmukh
