Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa congratulated his sister Rameshbabu Vaishali on winning the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, saying he was proud to see the results of her hard work.
Vaishali etched her name in the history books by becoming the first Indian to win the Women’s Candidates title after defeating Russia’s Kateryna Lagno in the final round on Wednesday.
Praggnanandhaa, who was present along with his mother to support his sister in the final stages, shared a video of the family celebrations and posted a congratulatory message. “Congrats to Vaishali akka! Proud of what you have achieved! Inspiring to see how you handled the critical moments in the tournament! Happy to see the results of all the hard work!” he wrote on X.
Vaishali will now challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Championship after clinching the 2026 Candidates title outright with a score of 8.5/14.
In the decisive final round, Vaishali outplayed Lagno with a composed display of technique, while Bibisara Assaubayeva could only manage a draw against Divya Deshmukh.
Speaking after the game, Vaishali 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.”
In 2024, Gukesh Dommaraju had become the first Indian to win the Candidates Tournament, going on to become the youngest challenger for the World Championship. He later clinched the title by defeating Ding Liren in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa’s own campaign in the Open Candidates ended after a loss to Javokhir Sindarov in round 10, a result that proved decisive. Sindarov went on to win the tournament and will now challenge Gukesh for the World Championship.
IANS
