Women's Candidates R5: Zhu and Lagno join the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
4/4/2026 – Three players share the lead after five rounds at the Women's Candidates Tournament, with Zhu Jiner and Kateryna Lagno joining Anna Muzychuk on 3/5. Both Zhu and Lagno scored their second wins of the event, while Muzychuk agreed a quick draw with Aleksandra Goryachkina, who remains unbeaten with five draws. Tan Zhongyi and Divya Deshmukh also split the point in a balanced game, leaving the standings tightly packed with all eight players separated by just one point. | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
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Zhu, Lagno and Muzychuk co-leaders

Two decisive games were seen on the fifth day of play in the Women’s Candidates Tournament, mirroring the situation in the open section, though the overall standings remain far more compact. There is no runaway leader in the women's event at this stage: three players share first place on a plus-one score, each with 3/5 points, while those tied for last place are only one point behind.

Zhu Jiner and Kateryna Lagno were the winners of the day, both collecting full points to join Anna Muzychuk at the top of the table. Muzychuk, who had come into the round after defeating Lagno before the rest day, agreed a quick draw with Aleksandra Goryachkina. The two are now the only unbeaten players in the field, with Goryachkina having drawn all five of her games so far.

The other drawn confrontation of the round took place between Tan Zhongyi and Divya Deshmukh. The players opted for an Exchange Variation in the Queen's Gambit Declined, and the game remained balanced throughout.

Round 5 results

Tan Zhongyi, Divya Deshmukh

Tan Zhongyi facing Divya Deshmukh | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Lagno's win against Bibisara Assaubayeva came from the white side of an Accelerated Dragon. The game quickly led to opposite-side castling, creating the conditions for a sharp middlegame. Assaubayeva did not find the most accurate plan in the early phase and also missed a couple of tactical resources that could have provided counterplay.

One notable moment came when she chose 13...Nh5 instead of the more active 13...Bxa4

As the position opened up, Lagno emerged from the complications with an extra exchange. From there, she consolidated her advantage methodically and converted it in a 40-move game, securing her second win of the tournament.

Kateryna Lagno, Bibisara Assaubayeva

Bibisara Assaubayeva knowns her position is completely losing | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Kateryna Lagno

Co-leader Kateryna Lagno | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Zhu Jiner's victory over Vaishali Rameshbabu was much more positional in nature. Arising from an Italian Opening, the game saw Vaishali struggle to find a reliable way to equalise.

Zhu gradually built up a space advantage in a semi-closed position and maintained steady pressure. Her handling of the middlegame was precise, eventually allowing her to win a pawn.

The game then transitioned into a major-piece endgame, where Zhu continued to press and slowly improved her position until the advantage became decisive. This result marked her second consecutive win, following her convincing victory over Deshmukh in the fourth round.

Zhu Jiner, Vaishali Rameshbabu

The Italian Opening in Zhu Jiner v. Vaishali Rameshbabu | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

Standings after round 5

All games

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Topics: Candidates 2026, Kateryna Lagno, Zhu Jiner
Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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