Candidates Round 14: Vaishali!!!

In the final round of the 2026 FIDE Candidates, the Open and Women’s each delivered two decisive games and two draws, but all of the drama was in the Women’s event.

GM Javokhir Sindarov had already clinched his spot in the next World Championship with a round to spare, while GMs Vaishali Rameshbabu and Bibisara Assaubayeva entered the Women’s event tied for first. Plus, as many as four other players had at least a mathematical chance of claiming a share of first. Talk about being on the edge of your seat!

In the Open, Sindarov capped off a dominant performance with a fast draw against GM Wei Yi. Finishing on an impressive 10/14, Sindarov produced one of the strongest results in Candidates history (if not the best). He completed his final-round game in under ten minutes, avoiding any unnecessary stress.

While players who clinched the title early have been seen to sometimes lose focus going into the final round, Sindarov stayed composed and took no risks, cementing his standing his place as the fifth highest-rated player in the world (which was his stated goal for the year).

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Sindarov shared his goal of reaching the "Top 5" at the media day before the start of the Candidates. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

One other game in the section took a similarly tame course:

The round still featured two decisive games, although they had no impact on the top of the standings. GM Fabiano Caruana delivered a convincing win over GM Andrey Esipenko, while GM Anish Giri produced an impressive victory with the black pieces against GM Matthias Bluebaum.

Although one might wonder if different results in earlier rounds could have changed the outcome, Sindarov’s consistency and focus throughout the event make it hard to imagine any other outcome.

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Graphic courtesy of FIDE

In contrast, the Women’s event was decided in this final round, delivering a tense and dramatic finish.

Going into the last round, Assaubayeva and Vaishali led the field by a half-point. Had both players won, the tournament would have gone to a playoff. But if both lost, a five-way tie for first was possible!

Assaubayeva’s game quickly became difficult, as she was surprised and  outplayed early in the opening and drifted into a worse position, coming close to defeat. However, a mistake from her opponent GM Divya Deshmukh in time trouble allowed her to escape with a draw.

Vaishali, on the other hand, held her nerve. A loss to GM Zhu Jiner a few rounds earlier served as a reminder that the tournament was far from over, despite her lead.

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The moment Vaishali won the Candidates. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

Staying focused until the very end, she delivered a beautiful and decisive victory over GM Kateryna Lagno’s aggressive Sicilian Dragon to secure her spot in the next Women’s World Championship match.

It was a brilliant finish for Vaishali, especially considering that she entered the event as the lowest-rated player. On the heels of her true dark-horse performance, she now heads into the Women’s World Championship match against GM Ju Wenjun with strong momentum and growing confidence.

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Vaishali meets her mother Nagalakshmi after her tournament-clinching victory. (Photo courtesy FIDE/Michal Walusza)

While it did not impact the race for first, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina added a third win to her tally to tie Zhu for third with a 7½/14 score.

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Graphic courtesy of FIDE

Congratulations to both Sindarov and Vaishali on their outstanding victories. Later this year, all eyes will be on the World Championship clashes as Sindarov faces GM Gukesh Dommaraju for the World Championship title, and Vaishali takes on Ju. Dates for the two matches have not yet been announced.

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