Candidates 2026: How a rook sacrifice powered R Vaishali to joint lead
Indian Express·1h ago·Neutral
What Happened
R Vaishali secured joint lead at the Women's Candidates tournament in Cyprus after defeating compatriot Divya Deshmukh. Vaishali now shares first place with China's Zhu Jiner on 5.5 points with five rounds remaining. She executed two rook sacrifices during the game, classified as brilliancies by chess engines. Vaishali recovered from early struggles, winning three games in the last four rounds. R Praggnanandhaa, competing in the men's section, drew against Wei Yi but trails the leader significantly.
Key Entities
R VaishaliWomen's Candidates tournamentCyprusDivya DeshmukhZhu JinerR PraggnanandhaaWei Yi