R Vaishali was defeated by Zhu Jiner, who also joined her atop the women’s standings. | Photo Credit: Niki Riga/FIDE

Grandmaster (GM) R. Vaishali succumbed to time pressure as a series of inaccuracies cost her full points against GM Zhu Jiner (joint leader), while a costly error from GM Divya Deshmukh (5) handed GM Tan Zhongyi (5) the match, with both Indians losing to Chinese Grandmasters in Round 12 of the ongoing FIDE Candidates on Sunday.

The game began with a Caro-Kann Defence, with Vaishali, playing White, opting for an aggressive approach and advancing her h-pawn early.

In the middlegame, Vaishali played 27. d5, blowing open the centre and turning the contest into a tactical race. She followed it up with Qh7 and Qh8 on moves 31 and 33, paralysing Zhu’s back rank and forcing the knight to f8, with the position appearing completely winning for the Indian.

However, as the clock ticked down, Zhu promoted to a second queen with 38. g1=Q+. Vaishali needed to find a precise sequence of checks to force mate or secure a draw, but missed a key safety square for her king. Instead of stabilising, she allowed Zhu to gain tempo, and the Chinese Grandmaster eventually forced her resignation.

ALSO READ: Check out what happened in Round 12 as it happened

On the other board, Divya saw her solid King’s Indian Attack setup crumble against Tan’s relentless precision. For over 50 moves, Divya held a fortress, manoeuvring her king to h2 to neutralise kingside pressure.

However, the tide turned when Tan orchestrated a lethal queenside expansion, infiltrating the seventh rank with her queen.

The decisive error came at move 57. Rf5, a misstep that allowed Tan to shatter White’s coordination. Divya’s time pressure proved fatal; with just over a minute left, she couldn’t parry Tan’s coordinated assault. The former World Champion masterfully capitalised, weaving a mating net that forced resignation.

Bibisara Assaubayeva (6.5) also defeated Lagno Kateryna (5.5) and climbed to second in the standings.

The final result of the day came when Aleksandra Goryachkina (5.5) held Anna Muzychuk (6.5) to a draw.

Published on Apr 12, 2026