Vaishali Rameshbabu

Rameshbabu Vaishali is an Indian chess player and grandmaster who has won the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss twice and qualified for the Candidates Tournament twice. In the most recent edition, she won the event and earned the right to challenge the reigning Women’s World Champion, Ju Wenjun.

Childhood

Vaishali was born in Chennai to a bank manager and a homemaker. Her younger brother is also a renowned chess player and grandmaster, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. She began her education at Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School and later studied at M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in commerce.

Vaishali began learning chess at the age of seven and soon took part in a tournament where she received a trophy as the youngest participant. In 2012, she won the World Youth Chess Championship in the girls’ under-12 category, and just two years later, she triumphed at the World Youth Championship in the girls’ under-14 category.

In 2013, she defeated Magnus Carlsen during a simultaneous exhibition in Chennai. The Norwegian grandmaster, who had travelled to India ahead of his World Championship match, played simultaneously against 20 young chess players. Vaishali was one of only four participants who managed to defeat the future world champion.

Career

In 2016, Vaishali earned the Woman International Master title. Later that year, in October, she finished second among Indian female chess players under the age of 16 and ranked 12th in the FIDE world ranking for this age category. Her Elo rating at the time was 2300.

On August 12, 2018, the Indian chess player competed in the Riga Technical University Open in the Latvian capital. It was there that Vaishali achieved the requirements for her first Woman Grandmaster norm.

In 2020, Vaishali represented India at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad. The Indian team finished the competition with the best overall result and were awarded the gold medal.

In 2021, Vaishali achieved her first norm for the International Grandmaster title (GM). The following year, she won the Fischer Memorial with 7 points out of 9 and earned her second GM norm.

In 2022, Vaishali received an invitation to the FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship. In the playoffs, she faced Bibisara Assaubayeva, the reigning World Blitz Champion. Vaishali managed to overcome this difficult opponent, and in the quarterfinals she defeated another prominent Indian chess player, Harika Dronavalli.

That same summer, Vaishali competed at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, near Chennai. She played on the third board for the Indian women’s team. The hosts finished the Olympiad with bronze medals, while Vaishali added another medal to the team’s haul by winning bronze in the individual standings on her board.

First Successes in Open Tournaments

The following year, Vaishali received her first opportunity to compete in the Tata Steel Challengers. She scored 4.5 points in 14 games. Among her opponents were grandmasters rated around 2600, including Luis Paulo Supi and Zergus Pechac. Vaishali managed to defeat both of them. She ultimately finished in 12th place.

Another important tournament was the 2023 Qatar Open. Vaishali scored 5 points in nine rounds and achieved her final GM norm. At the same time, she recorded the best result among all the women who took part in the competition.

Victory at the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss

Vaishali’s biggest success in 2023 was winning the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss on the Isle of Man. The Indian chess player went undefeated throughout the tournament and scored 8.5 points out of a possible 11. First place earned her a spot in the 2024 Women’s Candidates Tournament, which was scheduled to take place in Toronto.

The achievement was also special for her family. Vaishali and her younger brother, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, became the first brother and sister in history to qualify for the Open and Women’s Candidates Tournaments at the same time.

Olympic Gold and World Championships

In 2024, Vaishali once again represented India at the Chess Olympiad, this time in Budapest. The Indian women’s team put in a very strong performance and ultimately won the gold medal.

At the end of the same year, Vaishali performed strongly at the Women’s World Blitz Championship. She won her group in the first stage and advanced to the semifinals. There, she faced reigning world champion Ju Wenjun, to whom the Indian chess player lost. Vaishali finished the tournament with a bronze medal.

Road to the 2026 Candidates Tournament

In 2025, Vaishali successfully defended her title at the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss in Samarkand. She scored 8 points and once again earned the opportunity to compete for the right to play a match for the Women’s World Championship title.

The decisive event was the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament in Cyprus. Vaishali played 14 games, scoring five wins, suffering two losses, and drawing seven times. She finished with 8.5 points, which was enough to take first place.

The decisive game of the tournament was Rameshbabu’s 14th-round encounter against Russian player Ekateryna Lagno. Lagno played Black, while Rameshbabu had the White pieces:

In the game, Kateryna Lagno played the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defense, attempting to reach the white king throughout the game. However, her plan was unsuccessful, and Rameshbabu, having preserved an extra pawn, launched a sharp attack of her own. Lagno had no way to withstand it and resigned on move 48.

Winning the tournament became one of the biggest achievements of Vaishali's career. She will now face reigning Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun in a match for the world title.