![\"Candidates](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-130201902,imgsize-72996,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/vaishali-rameshbabu-vs-aleksandra-goryachkina-photo-by-niki-riga.jpg\" "\\"Vaishali")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nNEW 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. <\/p>\n Watch<\/span><\/p>\n Nihal Sarin Exclusive: Candidates 2026 Predictions, Anish Giri’s ‘Drawish’ Tag, and More #Chess <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.” <\/p>\n On the same day, Vaishali\u2019s 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\u2019s title hopes fade as R Praggnanandhaa drew his match against Matthias Bl\u00fcbaum, 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.FIDE Candidates<\/span> Round 11 Results \u2013 April 11, 2026<\/span>Open Section<\/span><\/p>\n Women\u2019s Section<\/span><\/p>\n FIDE Candidates Round 12 Pairings \u2013 April 12, 2026<\/span>Open Section<\/span><\/p>\n Women\u2019s Section<\/span><\/p>\nHow Vaishali outsmarted the Russian
<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n![\"Vaishali](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-130201906\/vaishali-rameshbabu-in-focus-mode-photo-by-niki-riga.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\n