Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali continued her impressive performance by overcoming Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina in the 11th round of the Women’s Candidates tournament on Saturday. With this win, Vaishali registered her fourth victory in the event, which elevated her total score to seven points from eleven games played.

The defeat placed Goryachkina in a difficult position, effectively ending her hopes of success in the tournament. She now remains on five points, falling two points behind the tournament leader. Vaishali’s triumph allowed her to extend her lead to a full point over the closest contenders, Anna Muzychuk from Ukraine and Jiner Zhu from China.

In a surprising move, Goryachkina opened the game playing as White and opted for the London system. Vaishali responded with calmness during the early stages, rapidly approaching an equal position by the middle game. Despite Goryachkina’s intentions to complicate the match following an early exchange of queens, Vaishali’s superior calculations allowed her to neutralise those threats effectively.

Strong Technique Sees Vaishali Through

Throughout the match, Vaishali demonstrated excellent tactical awareness, executing a creative strategy that led to the trapping of Goryachkina’s rook in a central position on the board. Although Vaishali lost a pawn and a minor piece, her technique remained flawless, allowing her to secure a comfortable victory.

Notably, Vaishali’s journey in the tournament began slowly, having drawn her first four games and subsequently losing to Jiner Zhu. However, she has significantly improved since the sixth round, claiming four victories and two draws, indicating that she is reaching peak form at a crucial juncture in the competition.

In the open section of the tournament, R Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali’s younger brother, faced challenges of his own. He missed a crucial tactical opportunity that could have led to victory against Matthias Bluebaum from Germany, resulting in a drawn game.

Current Standings and Key Matches

The tournament leader, Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan, maintained a strong position by drawing his match against the noted pre-tournament favourite Fabiano Caruana from the United States. Sindarov now has an impressive total of 8.5 points, making his lead appear almost insurmountable with just three rounds remaining.

Both Hikaru Nakamura from the United States and Wei Yi from China concluded their match in a draw, leading to the realisation that neither player remains in contention for victory. Similarly, Dutch player Anish Giri ended his game in a draw against Russia’s Andrey Esipenko, further solidifying Sindarov’s dominant position.

The results from the 11th round of the tournament reflect the keen competition within both the women’s and open sections. It remains to be seen how the final rounds will unfold as players jockey for position, but Vaishali’s outstanding performance has certainly made her a contender to watch.

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