Indian Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu has made history by winning the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026 tournament in Pegeia, Cyprus. Her victory, clinched on Wednesday, 15 April, confirms her as the official challenger for the Women’s World Chess Championship. She is now scheduled to face the reigning champion, China’s Ju Wenjun, in a high-stakes title match later this year. Vaishali Rameshbabu Clinches FIDE Women's Candidates 2026, Sets Up World Chess Championship Clash Against Ju Wenjun.

Who Is Vaishali Rameshbabu?

Born on 21 June 2001 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Vaishali was introduced to chess at the age of six. Her career took off early, winning the Girls’ World Youth Chess Championship in the Under-12 and Under-14 categories.

She achieved the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title in 2018 and became an International Master (IM) in 2021. In late 2023, following a stellar performance at the Qatar Masters and the Llobregat Open, she fulfilled all requirements for the Grandmaster (GM) title, becoming only the third Indian woman to reach the rank.

The Historic Sibling Connection

Vaishali is famously part of a unique sporting duo. Her younger brother, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, is also a world-renowned Grandmaster. In 2024, they became the first brother-sister pair in history to hold the GM title simultaneously.

The siblings’ rise has been a focal point of India's recent chess revolution. While Praggnanandhaa has been a fixture in the men's elite circuit, Vaishali’s victory in the 2026 Candidates establishes her as a leading force in the women's game, arguably surpassing her previous bronze-medal achievement at the 2024 World Blitz Championship

A Dominant Performance in Cyprus

Vaishali finished the gruelling 14-round double round-robin tournament with an impressive score of 8.5/14. Despite a late surge from China’s Zhu Jiner, who briefly shared the lead in the twelfth round, the 24-year-old Indian displayed remarkable composure to secure the top spot. Who Is Divya Deshmukh? Here's All About India's 88th Grandmaster Who Won FIDE Women's Chess World Cup 2025 at the Age of 19.

Her campaign was defined by a series of clinical victories against the world's elite, including former world champions and top-ten ranked players. This triumph marks the first time an Indian woman has won the Candidates since the current format was established.

As the winner of the Candidates, Vaishali now turns her attention to Ju Wenjun. The upcoming World Championship match represents the pinnacle of her career. If successful, she would become the first Indian woman to hold the undisputed world title, following in the footsteps of the legendary Viswanathan Anand.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 15, 2026 10:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).