Vaishali etched her name in the history books as she became the first Indian to win the FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates title after beating Russia\u2019s Kateryna Lagno in the final round on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Praggnanandhaa, who was present with his mother to support his sister in the finals, shared a video of his family after the win and also wrote a congratulatory message for Vaishali.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\"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 for all the hard work!\" He wrote on X.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Vaishali will challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women\u2019s World Championship after winning the 2026 FIDE Women\u2019s Candidates outright with a score of 8.5\/14. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
In an exciting final round, Vaishali defeated Kateryna Lagno in a magnificent display of technique, while Bibisara Assaubayeva managed only a draw in her game against Divya Deshmukh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking at the postgame press conference, Vaishali expressed her delight: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing, a dream come true for me. When I lost to Zhu Jiner, everything suddenly opened up, and I\u2019m happy I was able to stay focused in the last two rounds and give my best.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In 2024, Gukesh D emerged as the Winner of the Candidates Tournament 2024 to become the youngest World Chess Championship challenger ever. He was the first ever Indian to win the Candidates. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking at the postgame press conference, Vaishali expressed her delight: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing, a dream come true for me. When I lost to Zhu Jiner, everything suddenly opened up, and I\u2019m happy I was able to stay focused in the last two rounds and give my best.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sindarov eventually went on to win the men's candidates, and he will now challenge Gukesh D, who became the 18th world chess champion when he defeated China\u2019s Ding Liren in the 2024 World Chess Championship match in Singapore.<\/p>\r\n\r\n