Vaishali Rameshbabu wins FIDE Grand Swiss tournament

• Indian Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu won the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss for the second time in a row and made it to the women’s Candidates tournament after a hard-fought draw against former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the 11th and final round in Samarkand on September 15.

• Russian Kateryna Lagno played out a draw fairly quickly with Ulviyya Fataliyeva of Azerbaijan to end at the top of the table, along with Vaishali. 

• Vaishali and Kateryna Lagno reached the Candidates after securing top two spots in the Women’s event.

• In 2023, Vishali won the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss in Isle of Man, United Kingdom.

• She became the third Woman Grandmaster in India in 2023.

• She was honoured with the Arjuna Award in January 2024.

FIDE Grand Swiss tournament

• The FIDE Grand Swiss is one of the most significant tournaments in the World Chess Championship cycle, featuring many of the world’s strongest chess players.

• Launched in 2019 (with the women’s event starting in 2021), the 11-round Swiss system tournament is held every two years. 

• Considered as one of the most difficult and unpredictable chess events given its open nature, the top two finishers in both categories qualify directly for the World Candidates tournament where a challenger for the title of world champion is chosen. 

• The 2025 edition ran from September 4-15 at the EXPO Centre in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 

• There were 116 players taking part in the Open and 56 players in the Women’s competition.