In a surprising turn of events at the Candidates tournament held in Paphos, Cyprus, Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali suffered a defeat against Jiner Zhu from China on April 12, 2026. This loss not only cost Vaishali her chance to take the lead but also allowed Zhu to join her at the top of the leaderboard, both now holding seven points from 12 games. The tournament, which determines the challenger for the women's world champion Wenjun Ju, has become increasingly competitive with just two rounds left. Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan is closely trailing the leaders with 6.5 points, following her victory over Kateryna Lagno of Russia. Meanwhile, in the open section, Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan is nearing a dominant victory with nine points, having drawn with world number two Hikaru Nakamura. As the tournament approaches its conclusion, the stakes are high for all competitors, particularly for Vaishali and Zhu as they vie for the championship match.