Candidates Tournament 2026: Indian Chess Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh Falls Short After Promising Start

After starting well, Indian Chess Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh has dropped off the early pace of play at the Candidates 2026 event, held in Cyprus. She has yet to be able to convert important positions into winning games from her four opening rounds.

Contents

The tournament is being played at the Cap St Georges Hotel Resort, and has produced controlled results from the 18-year-old Indian chess player, over the first four rounds, but as the tournament moves into the first day off on April 2, Divya’s overall standings have decreased due to missed opportunities to win those games.

Divya Deshmukh Missed The Advantage

Divya Deshmukh began her tournament with a solid draw against Anna Muzychuk by remaining disciplined in her game-play.

However, things changed for Divya when she played against another Indian player, Vaishali Rameshbabu.

Despite having an early advantage after Vaishali made a mistake, Divya couldn’t capitalize it and, when she made a poor queen move, Vaishali was able to make a queen sacrifice, which allowed the game to end in a draw, despite being a losing position.

In her next match against Alexandra Goryachkina, Divya lost as she struggled to maintain her position under pressure in a long endgame.

Following this loss, Divya Deshmukh played against Zhu Jiner, a Chinese chess player, and made several mistakes due to time pressure, which ultimately led to her losing the match.

Mixed fortunes for India

Indian players’ performance overall in Cyprus has produced many great moments, but limited consistency so far.

In the Open section, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu started strongly, including a notable win over Anish Giri, but dropped momentum after a defeat to Javokhir Sindarov. He closed the fourth round with a draw against Matthias Bluebaum, reflecting a cautious approach after the setback.

Talking about Vaishali, she has remained steady with a series of draws but has yet to register a breakthrough win.

However, with 10 rounds remaining, the tournament remains open, but the early gap is already placing pressure on the Indian players.

Also Read: Cyprus Chess Federation Chief Slams Koneru Humpy, Calls Her Statement ‘Misinformation’