NEW DELHI: For the first time at the Women’s Candidates in Cyprus, someone has asserted her dominance, and, to no one’s surprise, it is India’s very own Vaishali Rameshbabu.Playing with the black pieces in Round 11 on Saturday, she claimed a jaw-dropping win over the former World Championship challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina.A victory that felt less like a tactical scramble and more like a statement of intent means 24-year-old Vaishali stands alone at the summit of the leaderboard with 7/11 points at the end of the day.
How Vaishali outsmarted the Russian
Playing with the white pieces, Goryachkina opted for a cautious approach, employing a Reverse London System.It was a choice that lacked the bite usually associated with her play. Analysing the game, Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay explained the passivity of the setup.“Goryachkina played a very passive reverse London system, which does not offer any advantage to white. It was expected that she would try to play for an advantage, but I think she wanted to play it safe,” Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com. “Vaishali never had any difficulties in equalising.”Vaishali seized the initiative after unleashing a sharp novelty on move 11 (11…Nc6), shifting the pressure back onto the 27-year-old Russian.“The position is slightly preferable for black at this stage,” Thipsay observed. “It was a complete failure for Goryachkina in the opening.”Despite the opening edge, the game appeared to be drifting toward a draw after the queens were traded after 13 moves.However, in the tension of the endgame, Goryachkina’s defensive precision finally buckled. On move 25 (25.Rf5), she steered her rook into a self-made cage.“The 25th move was a decisive error by Goryachkina, who took her rook to a strange square in the centre. The rook got trapped,” Thipsay explained. “By move 26, it seemed Goryachkina was in a really difficult position with no chance of moving the rook.”The end came swiftly.On move 30, under immense pressure to liberate her trapped piece, Goryachkina blundered with 30. Bc4, losing the exchange immediately.“Then it became a very obvious theoretical win for Vaishali,” said Thipsay. “A nice conduction of the endgame thereafter; a superior endgame.”
On the same day, Vaishali’s compatriot Divya Deshmukh held Zhu Jiner to a draw. Zhu remains joint second with Anna Muzychuk on 6/11 points, while Divya stays second-last on 5/11.The Open section saw India’s title hopes fade as R Praggnanandhaa drew his match against Matthias Blübaum, ending his chances to lift the trophy. Nevertheless, his sister Vaishali is carrying the torch toward history. With only three rounds remaining, she holds a full-point lead over the field.As Thipsay concluded: “Our Vaishali seems to be well set to win the Women’s Candidates Championship. A nice win for Vaishali, who seems to be increasing her lead now because she’s the only player who won (in this round).”If Vaishali maintains this clinical composure, the coronation in Cyprus feels less like a possibility and more like an inevitability. In the Open section, after his draw against Fabiano Caruana, Uzbek Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov inched closer to clinching the coveted Candidates title.
Poll
Who do you think poses the biggest challenge to Vaishali in the remaining rounds?
FIDE Candidates Round 11 Results – April 11, 2026Open Section
- Anish Giri 0.5–0.5 Andrey Esipenko
- Hikaru Nakamura 0.5–0.5 Wei Yi
- Fabiano Caruana 0.5–0.5 Javokhir Sindarov
- R Praggnanandhaa 0.5–0.5 Matthias Blübaum
Women’s Section
- Kateryna Lagno 0.5–0.5 Anna Muzychuk
- Tan Zhongyi 0.5–0.5 Bibisara Assaubayeva
- Zhu Jiner 0.5–0.5 Divya Deshmukh
- Aleksandra Goryachkina 0–1 Vaishali Rameshbabu
FIDE Candidates Round 12 Pairings – April 12, 2026Open Section
- Andrey Esipenko vs R Praggnanandhaa
- Matthias Blübaum vs Fabiano Caruana
- Javokhir Sindarov vs Hikaru Nakamura
- Wei Yi vs Anish Giri
Women’s Section
- Anna Muzychuk vs Aleksandra Goryachkina
- Vaishali Rameshbabu vs Zhu Jiner
- Divya Deshmukh vs Tan Zhongyi
- Bibisara Assaubayeva vs Kateryna Lagno
