All posts tagged: R Vaishali

‘Need to improve quite a bit’

‘Need to improve quite a bit’

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 16, 2026 11:40 PM IST The strongest woman ever to play chess, Judit Polgar, has given her verdict on who she feels will win the upcoming Women’s World Chess Championship. The legendary Hungarian has placed her bets on the defending and five-time World Champion, China’s Ju Wenjun, to successfully defend her crown for a record sixth time against India’s R Vaishali. Polgar said Ju will be a very big challenge for Vaishali, and the Indian would need to significantly improve her game in order to be ready for the high-stakes event. “Well, it’s a very tough match and very interesting. Ju Wenjun already has experience playing in World Championship matches. She’s very tough, very much ready for long games, and the big experience is something that matters a lot,” she told FIDE, the international chess federation. “For Vaishali, it will be a very big challenge, and I think she will have to improve quite a bit to be ready for the World Championship match. Well, let’s see if experience will win or …

Inside the making of R Vaishali | Chess News

Inside the making of R Vaishali | Chess News

Published by Parlour News

As Vaishali’s coronation as challenger to Ju Wenjun became formalized in her final round clash with Kateryna Lagno, grandmaster Peter Svidler shared an anecdote on the FIDE broadcast — one that captured what makes the 24-year-old so strikingly special. Svidler, who recently coached her brother R Praggnanandhaa, recounted how Vaishali would occasionally sit in on his sessions. During one such drop-in, she stunned the room. One of the coaches presented what Svidler described as a “very, very difficult” position. The problem was so complex that the room began to stir — suggestions came in, lines were discussed, ideas thrown around in search of a solution. Vaishali said nothing. For an hour, she just sat there. Calculating. The suggestions around her were wrong. Through it all, she remained silent — working through the position in her head. And then, she solved it. Not necessarily every final branch, Svidler admitted, but enough to leave no doubt. What struck him wasn’t just that she solved it. It was what it took. “I don’t have that ability,” he said. …

How R Vaishali won the 2026 Women’s Candidates

How R Vaishali won the 2026 Women’s Candidates

Published by Webster

On an evening where everything she wanted fell in place, India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu finally emerged from the shadows of her prodigal brother Praggnanandhaa to become the first Indian to lift the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates in Cyprus. As fellow countrywoman Divya Deshmukh held joint leader Bibisara Assaubayeva to a draw in the final round, Vaishali played her part to perfection, outplaying Kateryna Lagno to secure a win on demand and secure the title with 8.5 points. Vaishali, the lowest rated player entering into the eight-woman tournament, overcame a shaky start to hold her own when barely anyone expected her to earn a shot at the FIDE Women’s World Championship crown against China’s Ju Wenjun. She sacrificed pieces, rode her luck, and won games which she termed “horrible and didn’t deserve to win,” during the tournament. “The first half of the tournament was super shaky,” a relieved Vaishali said in the press conference after her title win. “I was scoring points by luck. “But I kept getting better in the second half as we progressed,” she …

When a food poisoning bout and forced 2-month rest worked its magic for Vaishali Rameshbabu to rediscover joy in chess in 2024 | Chess News

When a food poisoning bout and forced 2-month rest worked its magic for Vaishali Rameshbabu to rediscover joy in chess in 2024 | Chess News

Published by Webster

Vaishali Rameshbabu had just been knocked out of the World Cup in July and returned home, falling ill immediately. She would miss out on tournaments for two months, trying to recoup, and discover a broader life beyond chess, which in fact helped her to fall in love with chess again, and this time feel “sorta, kinda something like happy.” India’s brand new challenger for the Women’s Chess World Championships after winning Candidates at Cyprus, recalled how the lowest point brought on enduring joy for the game thereafter. The year was 2023-24 – and it had been a rollercoaster, she told Chess.com two years ago. “It was just a food poisoning. But it was bad for me. In a way it was good. I took a break from the game, to take some positives from it. But I had to miss some tournaments,” she revealed to the website. The lead-up she told Chess.com had been filled with losses. “Last year was a rollercoaster. Wijk an Zee was ok. Didn’t play well in Grand Prix, lost my …

Vaishali Rameshbabu, the OG of her family, reclaims the spotlight in Cyprus by winning Candidates | Chess News

Vaishali Rameshbabu, the OG of her family, reclaims the spotlight in Cyprus by winning Candidates | Chess News

Published by Parlour News

4 min readUpdated: Apr 16, 2026 01:13 AM IST On a heady night in Cyprus, the stars aligned for Vaishali Rameshbabu. For the past few years, the sport lay waiting believing that the Candidates tournament would see Praggnanandhaa grab his spot in the World Championship to face compatriot D Gukesh. Instead, it was his older sibling, the OG chess player of the family, who will fly home from the Mediterranean island nation with a ticket to the Women’s World Championship in her grasp, after prevailing over Kateryna Lagno in the final round. In sharp contrast to Vaishali’s fortunes at the tournament, Pragg ended joint seventh in the eight-player standings. It’s a series of results that reiterates Vaishali’s credentials as one of the top players in the country in her own right and not as Pragg’s sister, an unfortunate tag she carried for a few years. When Vaishali’s victory over Lagno on Wednesday was more or less assured, one of the commentators on the FIDE live stream on YouTube, grandmaster Jan Gustafsson, was pointing out the …

When a food poisoning bout and forced 2-month rest worked its magic for Vaishali Rameshbabu to rediscover joy in chess in 2024 | Chess News

The miracle of Cyprus: R Vaishali wins Women’s Candidates after dramatic finale | Chess News

Published by Webster

5 min readApr 15, 2026 10:30 PM IST Call it the Miracle of Cyprus. On a dramatic day at the Candidates tournament, where everything that could have worked in Vaishali Rameshbabu’s favour did so, the Indian grandmaster managed to win the second-most prestigious tournament in the sport, thus securing her a battle with Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Championship crown. The result means that for only the second time in chess history, an Indian woman will fight it out for the Women’s World Championship title. Vaishali is the second Indian woman to earn a spot at the prestigious World Championship, following in the heels of Koneru Humpy — who challenged Hou Yifan for the women’s crown at Albania’s Tirana 15 years ago in 2011. In complete contrast to Vaishali’s finish, her brother, Praggnanandhaa, ended the tournament in seventh spot, winning just one game out of 14, which was his first game of the tournament. This was the second time both Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali were competing in the Candidates tournaments. After five rounds in the …

Vaishali loses to Zhu, shares lead

Vaishali loses to Zhu, shares lead

Published by Webster

With just two rounds remaining, India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu suffered a crucial defeat against China’s Zhu Jiner in Round 12 of the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates in Cyprus on Sunday, slipping into a joint lead at the top of the standings. Vaishali was outplayed by Zhu, who drew level on seven points. The Women’s Candidates witnessed three decisive results in Round 12, intensifying battle as the tournament reaches its final stages. Divya Deshmukh lost to former world champion Tan Zhongyi, who registered her first victory of the tournament. Divya is among the bottom two players with 5 points. In other matches, Bibisara Assaubayeva defeated Kateryna Lagno to stay within striking distance with 6.5 points. Anna Muzychuk played an excellent game against Aleksandra Goryachkina, but failed to capitalise on the momentum. Praggnanandhaa held to a draw In the open section, all games ended in a draw with Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Andrey Esipenko entering a sharp and dynamic opening that both players had deeply analysed in their home preparation. Unsurprisingly, the game was handled with near-perfect precision and …

2026 Candidates Tournament: R Vaishali squanders lead after losing to China’s Zhu Jiner | Chess News

2026 Candidates Tournament: R Vaishali squanders lead after losing to China’s Zhu Jiner | Chess News

Published by Webster

Zhu Jiner has become such a significant roadblock for R Vaishali that, in just six hours, she has shifted the entire outlook of the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament event in Cyprus. The ferocious Chinese completed a double over the overnight leader, defeating the Indian with black pieces in a crucial 12th-round tie on Sunday. This victory erased Vaishali’s lead and left the two tied at the top with seven points, with only two rounds remaining. Having already defeated Vaishali in the fifth round, a ruthless Zhu struck again to end a run that seemed to be taking the latter to the World Championship clash. Playing the white pieces in a Caro-Kann Defense, Vaishali appeared to be caught in Zhu’s opening preparation. While the immediate pressure wasn’t so obvious and the Indian negotiated her early moves well, she exhausted her clock to do so. Vaishali’s 10th and 13th moves combined cost her nearly 50 minutes. Given Vaishali’s known struggles in time scrambles, Zhu was off to an ideal start. R vaishali in action against Zhu Jiner …

Vaishali registers fourth win; solidifies lead

Vaishali registers fourth win; solidifies lead

Published by Webster

India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu registered her fourth win in six rounds as she took down Aleksandra Goryachkina in Round 11 of the 2026 FIDE Candidates to solidify her spot as the leader of women’s competition on Saturday. Playing with the black pieces, Vaishali forced a resignation out of Goryachkina in 45 moves. In a London system game both the players were evenly matched well into the middle game, before Goryachkina misplayed her white-squared bishop to c4 on the 30th move. It proved to be a decisive error as Vaishali emerged with the better of exchanges two moves later. The Indian gave up a pawn and a bishop for the white rook. From that point onwards, Vaishali was in complete control and pressed home the advantage without breaking a sweat. The win propelled Vaishali to 7 points and put her in sole lead with just three rounds of play left. #News | R Vaishali registers her fourth win🇮🇳🔥 Vaishali takes down Aleksandra Goryachkina with the black pieces in Round 11 and moves to 7 points👏 She solidifies …

Candidates 2026: Vaishali surges into sole lead; Praggnanandhaa loses to nemesis Javokhir Sindarov | Chess News

Candidates 2026: Vaishali surges into sole lead; Praggnanandhaa loses to nemesis Javokhir Sindarov | Chess News

Published by Webster

On one of the most significant days at the parallel Candidates chess tournaments in Cyprus, the sibling duo of R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali were the cynosure of all eyes. The 20-year-old prodigy lost to Uzbek phenom Javokhir Sindarov for the second time in the tournament but Vaishali played out a draw against Anna Muzychuk to remain unbeaten in her last five games, a streak that keeps alive her chances of winning the Women’s Candidates. Vaishali’s draw on Thursday, coupled with a victory for Bibisara Assaubayeva against Zhu Jiner, means that the Indian is now the sole leader in the women’s section with only four games left. Vaishali and Zhu had been co-leaders coming into Thursday’s set of games. But they had contrasting results in Round 10, with Vaishali battling her way to a quick draw while the Chinese rising star Zhu fought tooth and nail to salvage something in the endgame against Bibisara. After her clinical takedown of compatriot Divya Deshmukh on Wednesday in Round 9, Vashali gave the world a little peak at …