Samarkand (Uzbekistan), September 15 (HS): Indian Grandmaster R. Vaishali defeated former World Champion Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine to claim joint leadership in the women’s section of the FIDE Grand Swiss chess tournament following the penultimate 10th round.

Vaishali knew only a victory could keep her Candidates race alive and adopted an aggressive approach from the opening. Playing the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defense, she encountered some difficulties early on but capitalized on pressure-induced errors by Muzychuk to secure victory in 42 moves.

This crucial triumph propelled Vaishali to 7.5 points, sharing the lead with Ukraine’s Kateryna Lagno. Close behind are China’s Zhongyi Tan, Yixin Song, and Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva, all tied at 7 points each. Should Vaishali manage even a draw in the final round, her Candidates qualification prospects would strengthen considerably.

Open Section Disappointments

Indian hopes in the open section suffered significant setbacks. Arjun Erigaisi settled for a draw against China’s Yu Yangyi, while Nihal Sarin could only hold Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov to a stalemate. Most notably, R. Praggnanandhaa’s path to Candidates qualification through this tournament appears virtually closed after suffering defeat to America’s Hans Moke Niemann.

The open section now sees five players sharing the lead at 7 points: France’s Alireza Firouzja, Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum and Vincent Keymer, Netherlands’ Anish Giri, and Niemann.

Despite this tournament setback, Praggnanandhaa retains the strongest Candidates qualification chances among the Indian contingent, remaining well-positioned to qualify based on his year-long performance across multiple events.

The final round promises decisive action as both sections race toward their climactic conclusions, with Candidates spots hanging in the balance.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar