India`s Grandmaster R Vaishali registered a dominating victory over Kateryna Lagno in the final of the Women`s Candidates Tournament on Wednesday.
Following the triumph, she has sealed her place at the highest level in the women`s chess category. The title win has helped her to lock horns with China`s Ju Wenjun in the World Championship, which is scheduled to kick off later in the year. She also scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the title.
After the title win, her younger sibling R Praggnanandhaa shared a congratulatory post for his `akka` on his official social media handle. “Congrats to Vaishali akka! Proud of what you have achieved! Inspiring to see how you handled the critical moments in the tournament! Happy to see the results for all the hard work!,” read the post`s caption.
Congrats to Vaishali akka! 🔥🔥Proud of what you have achieved! Inspiring to see how you handled the critical moments in the tournament! Happy to see the results for all the hard work! pic.twitter.com/YHPyU8DfGO
— Praggnanandhaa (@rpraggnachess) April 16, 2026
Vaishali, who secured a total of 8.5 points, is following the footsteps of Koneru Humpy. The triumph also highlights the rise of women`s chess in India. Playing with the white pieces, she delivered a dominating performance to register a crucial victory and finish at the top of the standings.
This marks a significant leap from her previous campaign in 2024, where Vaishali scored 7.5 points and finished in joint-second place. This time, she improved her tally by a full point, finishing clear at the top and sealing one of the biggest achievements of her career.
Her childhood coach, RB Ramesh, also expressed happiness following the Women`s Candidates Tournament triumph.
“Playing for a world championship title is very prestigious – very happy that she`s come so far. She kept her nerves well at the crucial moment. Really great result,” he said on Chessbase India`s live stream as quoted by ESPN.
The Women`s Candidates tournament has a long and evolving history, first being held in 1952 as the qualifying event to decide the challenger for the Women`s World Championship.
It remained the pathway to the title match until 1997, when the format was replaced by knockout-style tournaments. However, the Candidates format was reinstated in 2019 after the FIDE restored the traditional match system to determine the Women`s World Champion.
(With Agencies` Inputs)
