India's R Praggnanandhaa missed a prime chance for victory at the Candidates Tournament, settling for a draw against Andrey Esipenko. Meanwhile, Vaishali Rameshbabu faced her first defeat against Zhu Jiner in the Women's Candidates, while Divya Deshmukh secured a hard-fought draw. The tournament's early stages show a strong lead by Javokhir Sindarov.
