Vaishali defends title at FIDE Grand Swiss, qualifies for Women’s Candidates 2026
R. Vaishali successfully defended her title at FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Monday to become the third Indian woman after Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy to qualify for FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026.
Divya and Humpy booked their Candidates spots when both reached the FIDE Women’s World Cup final in Georgia in June where Divya won the title.
Vaishali drew her game against China’s Tan Zhongyi in the 11th and final round to finish with eight points. She and Russia’s Kateryna Lagno both had the same number of points but Vaishali was crowned the champion due to better tiebreak score.
Top two finishers were guaranteed a spot for Candidates, a tournament which will decide the challenger for reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun of China.
More to follow….
Published on Sep 15, 2025