New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa has congratulated his sister, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, for winning the FIDE Women’s Candidates and said he is happy to see the results of all the hard work.

Vaishali etched her name in the history books as she became the first Indian to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates title after beating Russia’s Kateryna Lagno in the final round on Wednesday.

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.

“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.

Vaishali will challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Championship after winning the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates outright with a score of 8.5/14.

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.

Speaking at the postgame press conference, Vaishali expressed her delight: “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 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.

Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa also participated in the men’s category but lost to Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan in round 10 on Thursday after committing a significant mistake that cost him the game.

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’s Ding Liren in the 2024 World Chess Championship match in Singapore.

–IANS

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