New Delhi: Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali scripted history by winning the FIDE Women’s Candidates title in Cyprus on Wednesday. She became the first Indian to claim the prestigious crown.
Vaishali secured the title after defeating Russian chess grandmaster Kateryna Lagno in the final round. With this victory, the Indian qualified for the Women’s World Chess Championship final, where she will face reigning champion Ju Wenjun of China, according to fide.com.
Going into the last round, Vaishali was tied at the top with Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan, both on 7.5 points. However, Assaubayeva played out a draw against Divya Deshmukh, which opened the door for Vaishali to clinch the title outright.
Vaishali capitalised on the opportunity with a composed performance. She gained an early edge after Lagno made a mistake in the opening phase. The Indian gradually increased the pressure and maintained control through the middle game. In the endgame, repeated errors from Lagno tilted the balance further, forcing her to resign after 47 moves.
After the match, Vaishali said that winning the title felt like a dream come true. She added that she remained focused in the final rounds despite earlier setbacks in the tournament. She also credited her parents, family, team, and sponsors for their consistent support, noting that their backing played a key role in her comeback after a difficult phase last year.
In the open section, Javokhir Sindarov had already secured the Candidates title before the final round. He signed a quick draw with Wei Yi to close his campaign.
