India, April 13 -- R Vaishali has two rounds and a job to do in the Women's Candidates tournament. In Round 12 on Sunday, the 24-year-old Indian needed at least a draw to hold on to her sole lead. Zhu Jiner though had her plans in place. "I knew I had to play for a win today," said the world No.2 and highest-rated player in the women's section. Zhu stuck to her plan, cleverly navigating the off-beat idea Vaishali uncorked in the opening and finding a way to improve her position, before eventually threatening a mate-in-one. With the defeat, Vaishali gave up her sole lead, allowing Zhu to catch up with her for a shared lead.

Playing with the White pieces, Vaishali unleashed a fairly unusual opening idea in the Caro-Kann (5.cxd3) recapturin...