Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali on Monday secured the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss title for the second consecutive time, earning a place in the women's Candidates tournament after a hard-fought draw against former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the 11th and final round.
Russian Kateryna Lagno secured a draw relatively quickly against Ulviyya Fataliyeva of Azerbaijan, finishing at the top of the leaderboard alongside Vaishali, both with eight points out of a possible 11.
Lagno joined Vaishali as the other qualifier for the Candidates from this event. Vaishali clinched the tournament title due to a slightly better tie-break score, having faced the higher-ranked Zhongyi.
The Indian GM previously won the tournament in 2023 in the Isle of Man, United Kingdom. Her triumph here signals that Indian women are poised to gain prominence, much like their male counterparts.
Vaishali won six games, lost one, and drew the remaining four, with her tie-break score, based on the average rating of opponents, edging out Lagno’s by just one point.
This victory ensures that siblings Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa will both compete in the Candidates, the final hurdle to challenge for the world championship title.
None of the other Indian players in the FIDE Grand Swiss qualified for the Candidates, which is limited to eight players, with two spots secured from this event.
Anish Giri triumphed in the open section, decisively defeating Hans Moke Niemann of the United States.
Giri concluded the tournament with eight points out of a possible 11. Currently, Anish Giri and Matthias Bluebaum (from this tournament), Hikaru Nakamura of the United States (based on rating), R Praggnanandhaa (based on his tournament circuit performance), and Fabiano Caruana of the United States are set to compete in the Candidates.
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The final three spots will be determined at the World Chess Cup in Goa next month.cThe Candidates winner will challenge the reigning world champion, D Gukesh. While only one Indian is confirmed for the men’s Candidates, three Indian women have already secured spots in the women’s category.
Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy qualified by finishing first and second, respectively, in the previous women’s World Cup. With Vaishali now among them, three Indian women are in contention to win the Candidates and earn a chance at the women’s world chess title.
“There are eight spots and there are more than eight great players. No matter the system you choose, it's going to be hard because you are to squeeze in eight players out of 20,” said Anish Giri, the worthy winner who was consistent throughout the long tournament here.
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