Vaishali produces masterclass to beat Divya and lead Candidates chess

R Vaishali stormed into contention for the Candidates chess title in Cyprus with a solid win over compatriot Divya Deshmuk on Wednesday.

Vaishali produced a masterclass to beat Divya and share the lead with Zhu Jiner of China on 5.5 points after nine rounds. Anna Muzychuk remains third on 5 points, while Divya and Kateryna Lagno are behind on 4.5 points each.

Playing white, Vaishali went on the offensive from the opening and gained a significant edge in the middle game against 20-year-old Divya.

Vaishali exchanged a rook for a knight to keep the attack going, and though Divya tried to even things out by giving up her rook for a minor piece, the 24-year-old from Tamil Nadu played all the accurate moves.

Vaishali offered a rook sacrifice, not once but twice, and, realising the position was lost, Divya resigned on the 31st move.

The Candidates is an eight-player 14-round tournament held to determine the challenger for the reigning world classical champion, Ju Wenjun. R Praggnanandhaa is the lone Indian in the men’s category.