Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa did the double over five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen after beating the Norwegian in Round 8 of the ongoing Norway Chess 2026 tournament.
The Indian had gotten the better of Carlsen earlier in the competition as well, in the fourth round.
With two rounds left in the competition, Praggnanandhaa now sits third with 12 points, two off leader Wesley So of USA. Frenchman Alireza Firouzja is second with 13 points.
The other Indian in the fray in the Open section, D. Gukesh, suffered a loss against Firouzja. Gukesh is placed last with eight points, with Carlsen ahead by just a point.
More to follow…
Published on Jun 03, 2026
Indian Grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa did the double over five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen after beating…
India’s R. Vaishali became the first from the country to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament after she beat Kateryna Lagno in the final round on Wednesday in Cyprus.
She will now challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Chess Championship title later in the year.
The inaugural Women’s Candidates was held in 1952 and served as the qualifying event for the World Championship until 1997, when the match format was replaced by knockout tournaments. The Candidates returned in 2019 after FIDE restored the match format to determine the Women’s World Champion.
Here’s a look at the full list of FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament winners over the years.
List of players who have won the Women’s Candidates over the years
1952 – Elisabeth Bykova – USSR
1955 – Olga Rubtsova – USSR
1959 – Kira Zvorykina – USSR
1961 – Nona Gaprindashvili – USSR
1964 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1967 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1971 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1974 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1977 – Maia Chiburdanidze – USSR
1980 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1983 – Irina Levitina – USSR
1986 – Elena Akhmilovskaya – USSR
1988 – Nana Loseliani – USSR
1990 – Xie Jun – China
1992 – Nana Loseliani – Georgia
1994 – Zsuzsa Polgar – Hungary
1997 – Xie Jun – China
2019 – Aleksandra Goryachkina – Russia
2022 – Lei Tingjie – China
2024 – Tan Zhongyi – China
2026 – R. Vaishali – India
Published on Apr 15, 2026
List of players who have won the Women’s Candidates over the years
1952 – Elisabeth Bykova – USSR
1955 – Olga Rubtsova – USSR
1959 – Kira Zvorykina – USSR
1961 – Nona Gaprindashvili – USSR
1964 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1967 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1971 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1974 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1977 – Maia Chiburdanidze – USSR
1980 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1983 – Irina Levitina – USSR
1986 – Elena Akhmilovskaya – USSR
1988 – Nana Loseliani – USSR
1990 – Xie Jun – China
1992 – Nana Loseliani – Georgia
1994 – Zsuzsa Polgar – Hungary
1997 – Xie Jun – China
2019 – Aleksandra Goryachkina – Russia
2022 – Lei Tingjie – China
2024 – Tan Zhongyi – China
2026 – R. Vaishali – India
India’s R. Vaishali became the first from the country to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament after she beat Kateryna Lagno in the final round on Wednesday in Cyprus.
She will now challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Chess Championship title later in the year.
The inaugural Women’s Candidates was held in 1952 and served as the qualifying event for the World Championship until 1997, when the match format was replaced by knockout tournaments. The Candidates returned in 2019 after FIDE restored the match format to determine the Women’s World Champion.
Here’s a look at the full list of FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament winners over the years.
List of players who have won the Women’s Candidates over the years
1952 – Elisabeth Bykova – USSR
1955 – Olga Rubtsova – USSR
1959 – Kira Zvorykina – USSR
1961 – Nona Gaprindashvili – USSR
1964 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1967 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1971 – Alla Kushnir – USSR
1974 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1977 – Maia Chiburdanidze – USSR
1980 – Nana Alexandria – USSR
1983 – Irina Levitina – USSR
1986 – Elena Akhmilovskaya – USSR
1988 – Nana Loseliani – USSR
1990 – Xie Jun – China
1992 – Nana Loseliani – Georgia
1994 – Zsuzsa Polgar – Hungary
1997 – Xie Jun – China
2019 – Aleksandra Goryachkina – Russia
2022 – Lei Tingjie – China
2024 – Tan Zhongyi – China
2026 – R. Vaishali – India
Published on Apr 15, 2026
India’s R. Vaishali became the first from the country to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates…
India’s R Vaishali is looking increasingly likely to emerge as the winner of the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026 as each Round passes.
Vaishali is also on course towards breaking an all-time record after securing seven points at the end of Round 11, stepping foot into a territory often unexplored for Indians.
Here’s the best performance by an Indian in Women’s Candidates:
Currently, the best individual performance by an Indian woman in the tournament is Koneru Humpy’s second-place finish in the 2024 edition.
Koneru had scored 7.5 points at the end of 14 rounds finishing second in the standings.
Vaishali has to score one more point in the next three rounds to break Koneru’s record, while scoring three more points will take her to 10 points which is the best ever individual performance in the history of the tournament.
A tournament win will also cement Vaishali’s spot in the World Championship Final.
Published on Apr 13, 2026
India’s R Vaishali is looking increasingly likely to emerge as the winner of the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026 as each Round passes.
Vaishali is also on course towards breaking an all-time record after securing seven points at the end of Round 11, stepping foot into a territory often unexplored for Indians.
Here’s the best performance by an Indian in Women’s Candidates:
Currently, the best individual performance by an Indian woman in the tournament is Koneru Humpy’s second-place finish in the 2024 edition.
Koneru had scored 7.5 points at the end of 14 rounds finishing second in the standings.
Vaishali has to score one more point in the next three rounds to break Koneru’s record, while scoring three more points will take her to 10 points which is the best ever individual performance in the history of the tournament.
A tournament win will also cement Vaishali’s spot in the World Championship Final.
Published on Apr 13, 2026
India’s R Vaishali is looking increasingly likely to emerge as the winner of the FIDE…