3 min readMay 1, 2026 08:18 AM IST
World champion D Gukesh had praised the character of Vaishali Rameshbabu, who earlier this month, won the Women’s Candidates tournament and will also fight for the Women’s World Championship. This means that while Gukesh defends his crown against Javokhir Sindarov, Vaishali will try to topple Ju Wenjun.
Gukesh experienced a rollercoaster of emotions at the previous Candidates tournament in Toronto where he won despite being a first-timer. Vaishali was also playing in her first Candidates that year, and after losing four games in a row, bounced back by winning her last five games on the trot, which almost got her the title. Two years later, in Cyprus, Vaishali managed to survive her own rollercoaster journey to secure the title.
Vaishali thus became only the second woman from India to earn a shot at the Women’s World Chess Championship after Koneru Humpy.
“I was following her match in the last round of the Candidates. The open section was already done, so I was following Vaishali akka’s game. I screamed when she won. It was really cool for me to see. I’m sure she will give her absolute 100 per cent in the match. Both of us will do something special,” Gukesh told Vaishali at her felicitation event in a speech. The speech was shared on YouTube by Chessbase India.
WATCH: Gukesh’s speech for Vaishali
“Right from 2024 Candidates, I am always amazed by the character she (Vaishali) shows during tournaments. I remember how difficult it must have been in the Candidates 2024 and the way you came back was amazing. And I am really glad that we both can fight for the World Championships.”
Vaishali also praised Gukesh.
“I’m very happy that Gukesh is here. He’s said some nice things about me. I hope we both win our match and there’s another celebration,” Vaishali said.
She then pointed out how she was also inspired by the younger lot like Gukesh and her brother Praggnanandhaa at the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA).
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“In WACA, we used to have a lot of online, group training sessions together. So it was very inspiring for me to see all these guys calculating. They would find some unbelievable moves,” Vaishali said.
