R. Vaishali will play in the inaugural edition of the newly launched WR Women’s Chess Tour, to be held in Tokyo on June 6 and 7. The tour, which aims to raise the profile of women’s chess and to position in global events like the WTA, will feature big names.

Vaishali, who recently won the Candidates tournament in Cyprus to become the challenger for the World title match, and former World champions Alexandra Kosteniuk and Antoaneta Stefanova are among the first players to be confirmed for the tour.

“Chess is immensely popular in some Asian countries, but still relatively small in Japan, and we plan to change that,” said Wadim Rosenstein, who is sponsoring the tour through his company WR Group Holding. “I deeply care about the development of women’s competitions, and bringing these events to prime locations around the world is a good way to achieve that goal.”

Published on Apr 27, 2026