R Vaishali has done it again! The 24-year-old chess prodigy from India has defended her FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss title in 2025 and claimed a spot in the Candidates 2026. This means she gets another shot at the World Championship match, a dream for any chess player. But more than that, she also created history by winning back-to-back Grand Swiss titles, a feat achieved by no one in either open or women’s sections.
R Vaishali’s Road To Title
R Vaishali’s journey to the title was both tough and inspiring. Coming into the FIDE Grand Swiss 2025, she had faced some hard losses and was almost out of confidence in classical chess. Her final game against China’s Tan Zhongyi, a former women’s world champion, was the most tense, but Vaishali managed to hold her nerves and managed a draw, securing 8 points out of 11 rounds, just enough to win the title for the second straight year.
Making Chess History
Winning back-to-back Grand Swiss titles is no joke. No one had managed this before in the event’s short history across both women’s and open categories. Vaishali topped the points table due to a better tiebreak score than Kateryna Lagno, who also finished with the same 8/11 points, but R Vaishali’s stronger opponents gave her the edge. Her record shows: six wins, one loss, and four draws, hard-fought games all the way.
India’s Rising Chess Star
With this win, R Vaishali becomes the third Indian woman to qualify for the Candidates 2026, joining Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh. The celebration of this victory was emotional. She took the stage with her mother, receiving the champion’s trophy from her hands, a proud moment that went viral online. As Vaishali herself said, every challenge made her stronger and helped her become a better player and person.
Also read: Meet The Only 4 Indian Women Grandmasters In History
