FIDE Candidates 2026 Women’s section: Vaishali stumbles against Zhu Jiner; title-race wide open Grandmaster R. Vaishali succumbed to time pressure as a series of inaccuracies cost her full points in a defeat to Zhu Jiner, who joined her atop the women’s section after Round 12 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.
Published on Apr 12, 2026
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Grandmaster R. Vaishali succumbed to time pressure as a series of inaccuracies cost her full points in a defeat to Zhu Jiner, who joined her atop the women’s section after Round 12 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.
Published on Apr 12, 2026
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