Published: April 17, 2026 at 12:58 pm
Vaishali Rameshbabu pulled off a sensational achievement when she won the prestigious Women’s Candidates tournament. The victory makes her only the second Indian woman in history who will compete at the Women’s World Championship after Koneru Humpy. The Andhra lass had done it way back in 2011.
https://x.com/ChessbaseIndia/status/2044484530548220344?s=20
The 2026 edition took place at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort in Cyprus, between March 28 and April 16, 2026. The contest was an eight-player, double round-robin tournament. There were 14 rounds with each player facing each of the others twice, once with white pieces and once with black pieces. The tournament winner has qualified to play against China’s Ju Wenjun later this year at a venue that is not yet finalised.
Vaishali emerged on top of the points table with 8.5 points out of a maximum of 14. Second was Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan with 8 points and third was China’s Zu Jiner with 7.5 points. What made Vaishali’s feat even more outstanding is the fact that she was the lowest-rated player in the eight-woman field. But the way she decimated the opposition made the top experts gasp in awe.
Anand always had faith in Vaishali
One of the people who always had faith in Vaishali was India’s chess legend Viswanathan Anand. He said: “I knew that Vaishali was a strong player, certainly one of the best female hopes, when we selected her for our Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA). At that stage, she’d already accomplished a lot. But there was stuff that I discovered about her over the next few years, especially her tactical abilities and the ability to calculate, which you will often see rescue her in difficult positions. Even if she’s suffering inside, she’s able to keep a certain composure at the board.”
Vaishali Rameshbabu with chess legend Vishwanath Anand
At the Candidates tournament, Vaishali had a slow start and suffered a devastating loss to Zhu Jiner in Round 5. She had multiple games which went in unpredictable directions. But throughout the nail-biting contests which would have taxed the best in the business, Vaishali kept calm, and was always in better control of her nerves than the rest of the field. She just hung in there and kept playing consistently in what turned out to be a very combative tournament in Cyprus.
Vaishali and her brother are first siblings to be GMs
A unique aspect of Vaishali’s life is that she and her younger brother Praggananandhaa (better known as Praggs) are the first sibling pair to hold the title of Grandmasters in FIDE. Vaishali was born in Chennai on June 21, 2001. Her father, Rameshbabu, works as a branch manager and her mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker.
Vaishali with her mother Nagalakshmi and brother Praggananandhaa
From a young age Vaishali showed a talent for chess. Her brother also took up the game following in her footsteps. Vaishali won the World Youth Chess Championship for Under-12 boys and girls in 2012 and Under-14s in 2015.
Significant victory over Magnus Carlsen
Then came a huge victory. At the age of 12, she defeated future World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in a simul competition that Carlsen held while he was visiting Chennai for the World Chess Championship in 2013.
After this morale boosting win, Vaishali continued to stride ahead confidently. She won the National Junior Girls Chess Championship in 2015 as well as in 2016. Later that year, she received the Woman International Master (WIM) title. At that time, she had an Elo rating of 2300.
Vaishali with Boris Gelfand and Vladimir Kramnik
She became a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) by completing her final norm in the Riga Technical University Open chess tournament in Latvia on August 12, 2018. Vaishali won the 8th Bobby Fischer Memorial and won her second GM norm. Thereafter she was invited to participate in the FIDE Women’s Speed Chess Championship in 2022, where she defeated the Women’s World Blitz Chess Champion Bibisara Assaubayeva in the Round of 16.
Achieved final Grandmaster norm in 2023
In the Qatar Masters Open 2023, Vaishali received her final GM norm after finishing with 5 points out of 9. She also won the top women’s prize in the tournament, after finishing with better tiebreaks (performance rating) over her compatriot Divya Deshmukh.
Today Vaishali is widely recognized for her aggressive and fearless style of play. She has developed into a highly resilient and creative competitor known for laying out imaginative tactical combinations and launching fierce attacks on the king-side.
Vaishali with her brother and parents
In her approach, she prefers to create complex positions. Coached by RB Ramesh, she embodies the “Chennai school” of chess, which emphasizes brilliant calculation and tactical skill. Her high level of resourcefulness in difficult positions is breathtaking.
Vaishali has great mental strength
She looks like a quiet, reserved and humble person. But she has shown incredible mental strength and the ability to stage comebacks, such as winning five consecutive games at the 2024 Candidates tournament. Vaishali favors sharp openings and frequently plays variations like the Sicilian Defense (including the Dragon Variation) with Black pieces. With White, she often employs the London System and Ruy Lopez.
Vaishali and her brother when they were young. Pics: ChessBase India
Despite her aggressive style, she herself remains calm. She is able to do this because she has worked with several psychologists to remain calm under pressure. This was one of the key factors that led to her victory in the 2026 Candidates tournament. Now, quite rightly, Vaishali is regarded as one of India’s most dangerous attacking players, having matured into a top contender for the world title. Here’s wishing her good luck for the final battle against her Chinese opponent later this year.
