Women's Candidates R6: Muzychuk sole leader, as three games end decisively

by Michael Rahal
4/5/2026 – Anna Muzychuk moved into the sole lead at the Women's Candidates after defeating Zhu Jiner with the black pieces, opening a one-point gap in the standings. Bibisara Assaubayeva suffered a second consecutive loss, while Aleksandra Goryachkina was held to a draw despite getting winning chances. Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh scored their first wins of the event. | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis
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A full-point lead for Muzychuk

Press release by FIDE

Anna Muzychuk emerged as the sole leader in the Women's Candidates after an important victory with the black pieces against co-leader Zhu Jiner. Combined with a loss by Bibisara Assaubayeva, Muzychuk now leads the standings by a full point.

Zhu opted for a quiet Italian Game, choosing the relatively rare 5.Be3. Muzychuk equalised comfortably before gradually seizing the initiative. In a bold turn, she sacrificed material to launch a powerful attack, which ultimately proved decisive.

Reflecting on the game, Muzychuk said:

It was a very stressful game. I did expect the Italian but not this line, so I was trying to figure it out over the board. Zhu Jiner is a very strong player – the highest rated – and she had won the last two, so it was a dangerous game for me.

Zhu Jiner, Anna Muzychuk

The all-important clash between Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

Aleksandra Goryachkina essayed the Two Knights Defence against Tan Zhongyi, who arrived exceptionally well-prepared, confidently blitzing out her opening moves.

Out of the opening, Tan secured an extra pawn heading into the middlegame, but the tactical complications ultimately favoured Goryachkina. With a well-calculated combination, she managed to win her opponent's queen. However, Tan demonstrated remarkable defensive resilience, constructing a fortress that Goryachkina could not break down, thus denying her a first victory in the event.

Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina

Tan Zhongyi v. Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

In another dramatic encounter, Vaishali Rameshbabu scored her first win of the tournament against Kateryna Lagno. In a game full of momentum swings, Vaishali seized the initiative around move 20 and launched a strong attacking push.

At one critical moment, however, she faltered, giving Lagno a chance to turn the tables – an opportunity that went unclaimed. Reflecting afterwards, Vaishali admitted:

It was an interesting game. In time trouble, I thought I had the game under control, but I was lucky at some moment. After time trouble, I think I was winning.

Once she regained the advantage, Vaishali converted with precision, finishing the game with a neat tactical sequence.

Black’s attack is overwhelming, but accuracy is essential due to the material deficit. Vaishali found the subtle and powerful 46…Rg5!, a quiet rook retreat that sets up the decisive threat of …Qh4 mate.

Following 47.Bg2 Qh4+, it became clear that 48.Kg1 would fail to 48…Rxg2!, winning the queen on e7.

A crisp and elegant finish.

Kateryna Lagno, Vaishali Rameshbabu

Vaishali Rameshbabu got the better of former co-leader Kateryna Lagno | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

In the final game of the afternoon, Bibisara Assaubayeva suffered her second consecutive defeat, allowing Divya Deshmukh to score her first victory of the Women's Candidates and join the chasing pack.

The opening, a topical line in the Queen's Gambit, prompted commentator Jan Gustafsson to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane:

I used to play the Cambridge Springs when I was young. I had the hope of winning with one of the many blunders my opponents could fall into.

Although the game was complex and dynamically balanced for long stretches, Assaubayeva eventually over-pressed in her attacking efforts, allowing Divya to consolidate her extra material and convert the advantage.

Reflecting on her win, Divya said:

I have studied these openings quite well, and I was well-prepared. I wasn't sure of my position, but I thought it was better to be a pawn up in a slightly worse position. I think that after 40.f6 the position was winning for me, although up to that moment I was not sure at all.

Divya Deshmukh

Divya Deshmukh sharing time with fans after scoring her maiden win of the event | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

The fan zone was also in full swing. Dana Reizniece delivered a talk titled "How to win at chess? Life lessons learned from chess", while Sagar Shah hosted a workshop for children. Finally, Dr. Yevgeny Levanzov gave a lecture on "Chess and Maths", rounding off a busy and engaging day around the playing hall.

Round 6 results

Standings after round 6

All games

In this video course, experts (Pelletier, Marin, Müller and Reeh) examine the games of Judit Polgar. Let them show you which openings Polgar chose to play, where her strength in middlegames were, or how she outplayed her opponents in the endgame.

<< Candidates R6: Sindarov keeps on winning, widens gap to 1½ points
Candidates R7: Head-to-head stats >>
Topics: Anna Muzychuk, Candidates 2026, Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali Rameshbabu
Born in England in 1970, Michael Rahal is an International Master and a FIDE trainer. Currently living in Barcelona (Spain), Michael is fluent in English and Spanish and has been coaching chess players of all ages and levels for more than 25 years. More recently he has developed his career as a chess broadcaster, covering both online and on-site many top events on Playchess and the ICC, including a leg of the recent FIDE Grand Prix. You can also follow him on Youtube where more than 10.000 subscribers enjoy his instructive chess videos.
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Video

60m The Two Knights

This entry into the 60 minutes series concentrates on the Modern variation of the Italian game where White opens the centre early : 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4 5 e5!. This line can be reached by various move orders, most frequently from the Scotch 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4. It's a sharp variation and Grandmasters such as Evgeny Sveshnikov have used it frequently,with very good results. It's a perfect line for club players to adopt which is relatively easy to learn and which contains many traps. All the main responses are covered here, including 5...d5, 5...Ng4 and 5...Ne4 and the conclusion is that is is difficult for Black to equalize in a straightforward way. Problems are being posed, which over the board might prove tough to solve.