FIDE Chess Candidates 2026 LIVE, Round 1: Praggnanandhaa takes on Anish Giri; Divya, Vaishali in action in women’s section

R Vaishali (India) – Winner, 2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss.

Divya Deshmukh (India) – Winner, 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup.

Tan Zhongyi (China) – 3rd place, 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup.

Zhu Jiner (China) – Winner, 2024–25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix.

Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE/Russia) – Runner-up, 2024–25 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix.

Kateryna Lagno (FIDE/Russia) – Runner-up, 2025 FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss.

Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) – Replacement/Qualification path.

Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) – Replaced Koneru Humpy (who withdrew due to safety concerns).