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Grandmaster R Vaishali secured her spot in the Women’s Candidates tournament 2026 by winning the Women’s Grand Swiss in Samarkand, a remarkable comeback after a disastrous performance in Chennai. Her brother, GM Praggnanandhaa, and her family played a crucial role in convincing her to participate, before fate intervened.

Anish Giri and Matthias Bluebaum secured their spots in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 after a strong showing at the FIDE Grand Swiss. R Vaishali defended her title in the women's event, marking her second appearance in the Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026. With Caruana and Nakamura also confirmed, the Candidates Tournament is set to be highly competitive.

R Vaishali defended her FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss title in 2025, securing a spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament. She finished with 8 points after drawing against Tan Zhongyi. Vaishali joins Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh as the third Indian woman to qualify for the Candidates, marking a significant achievement for Indian women's chess.

Gukesh D and Divya Deshmukh drew in a lengthy endgame, while Nihal Sarin secured a quick draw, sharing the lead in the FIDE Grand Swiss. R Vaishali lost her lead in the women's section after a defeat, and Vidit Gujrathi was also defeated. Kateryna Lagno now leads the women's section with 6.5 points, holding a half-point advantage.

In the FIDE Grand Swiss, Gukesh faced his second consecutive defeat, this time against Nikolas Theodorou, while Arjun Erigaisi held Parham Maghsoodloo. Vaishali secured a win, joining Kateryna Lagno in the lead for the women's section. With a rest day approaching, players are gearing up for the crucial rounds ahead, battling for Candidates Tournament qualification.

Indian grandmasters are making waves at the FIDE Grand Swiss! D Gukesh drew a tense match, while defending champion R Vaishali secured another victory. Praggnanandhaa clinched his first tournament win. Alireza Firouzja, Parham Maghsoodloo, and Anton Demchenko lead the open section. Vaishali and Olga Bedelka share the lead in the women's section.