Sports news
#Vaishali #play #Womens #Chess #Tour">Vaishali to play in Women’s Chess Tour 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
R. Vaishali will play in the inaugural edition of the newly launched WR Women’s Chess…
Sports news
#Womens #Candidates #winner #Vaishali #returns #home #lukewarm #Chennai">Women’s Candidates winner R. Vaishali returns home to lukewarm welcome in Chennai
After 14 rounds of draining, exacting chess, and a final-round victory over former World Rapid and Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026, Grandmaster R. Vaishali returned home in the early hours of Sunday.
Despite the odd hour and the restrictions in place owing to the Tamil Nadu Assembly election week, the welcome was relatively subdued, though around 50 students from Velammal were still at the airport to receive her.
Carrying placards with messages for the newly crowned challenger, they gathered to greet her, cut a cake and pose for photographs. Nearby stood Vaishali’s family. Her father, Rameshbabu, watched quietly from a corner, taking it all in, before Vaishali spotted him, rushed across and posed with her family and the winner’s medal.
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath
For Vaishali, the moment completion of a full circle.
Back in 2013, as a 12-year-old, she had been in attendance when Viswanathan Anand faced Magnus Carlsen in Chennai for the World Championship title. More than a decade later, she now finds herself on the verge of that same stage.
“It is a dream moment for me. I’m very happy. I’ve followed many World Championship matches, and now I’ll be playing one. I’m really looking forward to it,” Vaishali told Sportstar on her arrival in the city.
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, with multiple players still in contention deep into the tournament.
Going into the final round, Vaishali needed to beat Lagno, while Bibisara Assaubayeva, who eventually finished second, had to either lose or draw against fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh. Divya held Bibisara, leaving Vaishali needing a win over Lagno to clinch the title that very day.
“Before the tournament, we had worked on different openings, and we had narrowed it down to two that we thought could come up in the final round. As expected, one of them did, and thankfully it worked out,” said Grandmaster M. Pranesh, who travelled with Vaishali as a sparring partner.
The opening was the Sicilian Dragon. Lagno gave up a pawn early to generate attacking chances against Vaishali’s king, but Vaishali defended precisely, stayed calm under pressure and gradually turned the position in her favour, using her bishop actively to keep Lagno’s queen under watch.
“It was a very close tournament. It could have gone either way, and I won the last game, which was very crucial in that situation,” Vaishali said.
Her path to the title had been anything but smooth. Vaishali began with four consecutive draws and then suffered a loss to Zhu Jiner in Round 5. When the two met again in Round 12, Vaishali went in with a one-point lead, only to lose once more. Yet that defeat, paradoxically, would come to be seen by her camp as a turning point rather than a setback.
“The second loss was actually crucial,” said coach R.B. Ramesh. “She went into Round 12 with a one-point lead and then lost to Zhu, which brought them level. I told her to treat it as if she had drawn the game, because she was still in joint lead going into Round 13 against Tan Zhongyi. The idea was to take it positively and move on.”
Almost everyone around Vaishali in Cyprus echoed that view. The loss to Zhu did not derail her campaign. If anything, it released some of the tension that had built up around the burden of leading and allowed her to reset for the final push.
Now comes the biggest match of her career: a World Championship clash against reigning champion Ju Wenjun. The two met at last year’s Norway Chess Women, where their classical game ended in a draw before Vaishali won the Armageddon tiebreak, her first victory over Ju in any format.
R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath
R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath
“I have played only a few classical games against her, and I’m very excited to face her for the title next,” Vaishali said.
For Ramesh and the team around her, the scale of what lies ahead is still sinking in. Planning, he said, will begin soon, with discussions around building a support team, identifying areas of improvement and deciding the structure of the training camp, likely from the first week of May.
“It will be her first match on such a big stage, and even for all of us it will be a new experience,” Ramesh said. “We will take suggestions from experienced people around us, listen to feedback and then move forward from there.”
Published on Apr 19, 2026
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
After 14 rounds of draining, exacting chess, and a final-round victory over former World Rapid and Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026, Grandmaster R. Vaishali returned home in the early hours of Sunday.
Despite the odd hour and the restrictions in place owing to the Tamil Nadu Assembly election week, the welcome was relatively subdued, though around 50 students from Velammal were still at the airport to receive her.
Carrying placards with messages for the newly crowned challenger, they gathered to greet her, cut a cake and pose for photographs. Nearby stood Vaishali’s family. Her father, Rameshbabu, watched quietly from a corner, taking it all in, before Vaishali spotted him, rushed across and posed with her family and the winner’s medal.
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
For Vaishali, the moment completion of a full circle.
Back in 2013, as a 12-year-old, she had been in attendance when Viswanathan Anand faced Magnus Carlsen in Chennai for the World Championship title. More than a decade later, she now finds herself on the verge of that same stage.
“It is a dream moment for me. I’m very happy. I’ve followed many World Championship matches, and now I’ll be playing one. I’m really looking forward to it,” Vaishali told Sportstar on her arrival in the city.
The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, with multiple players still in contention deep into the tournament.
Going into the final round, Vaishali needed to beat Lagno, while Bibisara Assaubayeva, who eventually finished second, had to either lose or draw against fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh. Divya held Bibisara, leaving Vaishali needing a win over Lagno to clinch the title that very day.
“Before the tournament, we had worked on different openings, and we had narrowed it down to two that we thought could come up in the final round. As expected, one of them did, and thankfully it worked out,” said Grandmaster M. Pranesh, who travelled with Vaishali as a sparring partner.
The opening was the Sicilian Dragon. Lagno gave up a pawn early to generate attacking chances against Vaishali’s king, but Vaishali defended precisely, stayed calm under pressure and gradually turned the position in her favour, using her bishop actively to keep Lagno’s queen under watch.
“It was a very close tournament. It could have gone either way, and I won the last game, which was very crucial in that situation,” Vaishali said.
Her path to the title had been anything but smooth. Vaishali began with four consecutive draws and then suffered a loss to Zhu Jiner in Round 5. When the two met again in Round 12, Vaishali went in with a one-point lead, only to lose once more. Yet that defeat, paradoxically, would come to be seen by her camp as a turning point rather than a setback.
“The second loss was actually crucial,” said coach R.B. Ramesh. “She went into Round 12 with a one-point lead and then lost to Zhu, which brought them level. I told her to treat it as if she had drawn the game, because she was still in joint lead going into Round 13 against Tan Zhongyi. The idea was to take it positively and move on.”
Almost everyone around Vaishali in Cyprus echoed that view. The loss to Zhu did not derail her campaign. If anything, it released some of the tension that had built up around the burden of leading and allowed her to reset for the final push.
Now comes the biggest match of her career: a World Championship clash against reigning champion Ju Wenjun. The two met at last year’s Norway Chess Women, where their classical game ended in a draw before Vaishali won the Armageddon tiebreak, her first victory over Ju in any format.
R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath
“I have played only a few classical games against her, and I’m very excited to face her for the title next,” Vaishali said.
For Ramesh and the team around her, the scale of what lies ahead is still sinking in. Planning, he said, will begin soon, with discussions around building a support team, identifying areas of improvement and deciding the structure of the training camp, likely from the first week of May.
“It will be her first match on such a big stage, and even for all of us it will be a new experience,” Ramesh said. “We will take suggestions from experienced people around us, listen to feedback and then move forward from there.”
Published on Apr 19, 2026
After 14 rounds of draining, exacting chess, and a final-round victory over former World Rapid…
Sports news
#Candidates #Discussions #Anand #Pragg #helped #triumphant #Vaishali">Candidates 2026: Discussions with Anand and Pragg helped me, says triumphant Vaishali
There is a certain calmness about R. Vaishali. That is evident in her voice, coming through clearly over the phone from Cyprus, some 5,000 kms away.
You could also sense some joy in her voice. You would understand if she chose to scream with delight: after all, she became the first Indian to win the Women’s Candidates chess tournament just a couple of days ago and thus qualified for the World title match.
Vaishali, though, is as collected as ever when she talks about the greatest moment of her career. “Winning the Candidates means a lot to me, as it has been my dream to win the World championship since I was a little girl,” she tells Sportstar. “When Viswanathan Anand sir was given a reception in 2012, after he won the World championship, I was one of the kids sent to the Chennai airport by my school, Velammal. That reception was inspiring.”
She was 11 then.
And Anand was there in Cyprus to congratulate her in person. He is her mentor now. She is being trained and sponsored by WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), which the five-time World champion founded along with Sandeep Singhal.
“Even before the Candidates, I had discussions with Anand sir, and the suggestions he made proved useful for my games,” says Vaishali. “And yes, I have been discussing chess with my younger brother R. Praggnanadhaa, who was playing the open section of the Candidates here. We even discussed what openings I should play for my last two rounds.”
RELATED | Vaishali has worked hard, is confident now: coach Ramesh
It was a superb victory in her final-round game against Katerya Lagno that gave Vaishali the title. “I was very happy to see some Sicilian (Defence) on the board,” she smiles. “I didn’t expect her to play this Dragon variation specifically that day. But I had prepared it, of course, before the tournament. Since she had some chances if she won, she was provoked to play that aggressive line.”
But Vaishali didn’t give her a chance and dominated the game. “I am quite happy with that game, and also with the ones against Divya Deshmukh and Aleksandra Goryachkina,” she says. “I wasn’t pleased with the way I began, however — four draws and then a loss in the fifth round. But after that, I bounced back with successive victories. Yes, it has been a pattern for me: I tend to hit my peak after a low. Here, I wasn’t bothered about the standings at the early stage, as I knew I could come back later, but what worried me was the way I played: I was defending in every game. So I decided to focus on the quality of my games.”
That certainly helped.
Published on Apr 17, 2026
There is a certain calmness about R. Vaishali. That is evident in her voice, coming through clearly over the phone from Cyprus, some 5,000 kms away.
You could also sense some joy in her voice. You would understand if she chose to scream with delight: after all, she became the first Indian to win the Women’s Candidates chess tournament just a couple of days ago and thus qualified for the World title match.
Vaishali, though, is as collected as ever when she talks about the greatest moment of her career. “Winning the Candidates means a lot to me, as it has been my dream to win the World championship since I was a little girl,” she tells Sportstar. “When Viswanathan Anand sir was given a reception in 2012, after he won the World championship, I was one of the kids sent to the Chennai airport by my school, Velammal. That reception was inspiring.”
She was 11 then.
And Anand was there in Cyprus to congratulate her in person. He is her mentor now. She is being trained and sponsored by WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), which the five-time World champion founded along with Sandeep Singhal.
“Even before the Candidates, I had discussions with Anand sir, and the suggestions he made proved useful for my games,” says Vaishali. “And yes, I have been discussing chess with my younger brother R. Praggnanadhaa, who was playing the open section of the Candidates here. We even discussed what openings I should play for my last two rounds.”
RELATED | Vaishali has worked hard, is confident now: coach Ramesh
It was a superb victory in her final-round game against Katerya Lagno that gave Vaishali the title. “I was very happy to see some Sicilian (Defence) on the board,” she smiles. “I didn’t expect her to play this Dragon variation specifically that day. But I had prepared it, of course, before the tournament. Since she had some chances if she won, she was provoked to play that aggressive line.”
But Vaishali didn’t give her a chance and dominated the game. “I am quite happy with that game, and also with the ones against Divya Deshmukh and Aleksandra Goryachkina,” she says. “I wasn’t pleased with the way I began, however — four draws and then a loss in the fifth round. But after that, I bounced back with successive victories. Yes, it has been a pattern for me: I tend to hit my peak after a low. Here, I wasn’t bothered about the standings at the early stage, as I knew I could come back later, but what worried me was the way I played: I was defending in every game. So I decided to focus on the quality of my games.”
That certainly helped.
Published on Apr 17, 2026
There is a certain calmness about R. Vaishali. That is evident in her voice, coming…
