Indian Grand Master Viswanathan Anand hailed the rising chess star R Vaishali as she became the first Indian to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026. She defeated Ukrainian-Russing chess grandmaster Kateryna Lagno to secure a World Championship clash against reigning champion Ju Wenjun of China. Lauding Vaishali for her historic feat, legend Viswanathan Anand said that he is proud of her achievement.
Anand also praised Vaishali for the mental strength she showcased during the entire campaign. He said, “And she has done it. Vaishali is the winner of the 26th Women’s Candidates Tournament and will go on to challenge Ju Wenjun later this year for the Women’s World Chess Championship. Here at the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus, she showed amazing determination, hard work, resilience, and mostly self-belief.”
He also praised the team behind Vaishali’s success and told Rev Sportz, “I’m so proud of her. I’m so proud that I have had a chance to support her. I must also congratulate, especially, her family, her parents, and of course, her brother, R Praggnanandhaa, as well as Ramesh and Aarti. This is a very happy occasion for Indian women’s chess.”
Vaishali Rameshbabu scripts history at the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026 in Cyprus, becoming the first Indian ever to win the prestigious title. With a stunning victory over Kateryna Lagno in the final round, she secures her place to challenge reigning World Champion… pic.twitter.com/tDWTIuIgRF
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) April 16, 2026
R Vaishali’s Final Round Against Kateryna Lagno
In the final round, Vaishali needed to record a win against Lagno as well as for Bibisara Assauubayeva to drop points. However, the first door opened for the Indian chess star when Divya Deshmukh held Bibisara to a crucial draw in Cyprus. The 24-year-old made the most of it and defeated Lagno in style in Round 14 with white pieces. Notably, during the tournament, Vaishali secured key wins against strong opponents such as Lagno, Tan Zhongyi and Aleksandra Goryachkina while drawing against Anna Muzychuk.
In the upcoming match, she is expected to meet the five-time world champion with a prize pool of €300,000 at stake. Vaishali also reflected on the victory and said, “It’s amazing, a dream come true for me. When I lost to Zhu Jiner, everything suddenly opened up, and I’m happy I was able to stay focused in the last two rounds and give my best.”
