Vaishali Rameshbabu Becomes First Indian to Win FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament
On a dramatic night in Cyprus Vaishali Rameshbabu delivered a performance that will be remembered as a turning point not just in her career but in Indian chess While much of the spotlight in recent years had been fixed on her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa it was Vaishali who seized the moment With a composed and clinical victory over Kateryna Lagno in the final round she clinched the prestigious Candidates Tournament and secured her ticket to the Women s World Championship The script had been written differently by many The expectation was that Praggnanandhaa would soon challenge reigning world champion D Gukesh Instead Vaishali rewrote the story on her own terms Stepping Out of the ShadowVaishali Rameshbabu secured her decisive final-round victory against Kateryna Lagno to win the FIDE Women s Candidates Tournament Finishing with points in a fiercely competitive field Vaishali outpaced strong contenders like Bibisara Assaubayeva and proved
