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Anish Giri and Matthias Bluebaum secured their spots in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 after a strong showing at the FIDE Grand Swiss. R Vaishali defended her title in the women's event, marking her second appearance in the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026. With Caruana and Nakamura also confirmed, the Candidates Tournament is set to be highly competitive.

Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali surged into a joint lead at the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, after defeating former world champion Mariya Muzychuk. Vaishali's victory puts her alongside Kateryna Lagno with 7.5 points. In the open section, Indian hopes for Candidates Tournament qualification dimmed as Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin drew their respective games and Praggnanandhaa lost.

In the FIDE Grand Swiss, Nihal Sarin's Candidates hopes dimmed after losing to Alireza Firouzja, while Arjun Erigaisi boosted Indian hopes with a win. Alireza joined the lead pack, and Praggnanandhaa eyes Candidates qualification through tournament scores. Vaishali remains in contention in the women's section, trailing leader Kateryna Lagno by half a point.

Gukesh D and Divya Deshmukh drew in a lengthy endgame, while Nihal Sarin secured a quick draw, sharing the lead in the FIDE Grand Swiss. R Vaishali lost her lead in the women's section after a defeat, and Vidit Gujrathi was also defeated. Kateryna Lagno now leads the women's section with 6.5 points, holding a half-point advantage.

D Gukesh faced another setback at the FIDE Grand Swiss, losing to Ediz Gurel, while Nihal Sarin joined Matthias Bluebaum in the lead. Several Indian players, including Praggnanandhaa, secured victories, improving their standings. Vaishali Rameshbabu took the sole lead in the women's section, increasing her chances to qualify for the Candidates tournament.

D Gukesh, the world champion, faced another setback at the FIDE Grand Swiss, losing to Nikolas Theodorou on Tuesday after a previous defeat. Theodorou, surprised by Gukesh's opening, capitalised on a missed threefold repetition claim by Gukesh. Despite Gukesh's ambition to win with the White pieces, Theodorou secured the victory in 47 moves.

In the FIDE Grand Swiss, Gukesh faced his second consecutive defeat, this time against Nikolas Theodorou, while Arjun Erigaisi held Parham Maghsoodloo. Vaishali secured a win, joining Kateryna Lagno in the lead for the women's section. With a rest day approaching, players are gearing up for the crucial rounds ahead, battling for Candidates Tournament qualification.

Indian Grand Master Divya Deshmukh is participating in the FIDE Grand Swiss tournament in Samarkand. Despite an opening round defeat by her mentor Abhimanyu Puranik, the 19-year-old rebounded with a draw against Alexander Donchenko. Divya emphasizes learning over winning, stating that losses against strong players provide valuable lessons.

The FIDE Grand Swiss witnessed a stunning upset as Hungarian teenager Zsóka Gaál defeated world No. 5 Anna Muzychuk. Reigning world champion D Gukesh of India began strongly, defeating Etienne Bacrot, while Praggnanandhaa drew with Jeffery Xiong. In other matches, Vaishali secured a win, adding to the excitement of the tournament's opening day.

India’s top-ranked Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa remains one of the favourites to secure his 2026 Candidates berth, while Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, Nihal Sarin and Pranav V add firepower to India’s record 15-player open section squad.

Pranav Venkatesh triumphed in the Superstars section of the Fujairah Global Chess 2025, held in UAE. He secured victory with an aggressive final-round win, finishing with 7.0/9 points. Prior to this, the 2025 World Junior Champion earned a spot in the FIDE Grand Swiss by winning the "Asian Wildcard Match"Z against GM Kazybek Nogerbek.