For the second time in a row, Vaishali Rameshbabu won the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss title, a victory which also earned her a spot in the FIDE Women’s Candidates tournament. In the three editions that the event has been held, Vaishali has now won the title twice with Lei Tingjie winning the inaugural edition in 2021.
The FIDE Grand Swiss had prize money of $90,000 (approximately Rs 79 lakh) on offer for the winner of the open section while the prize money on offer for the women’s winner was $40,000.
This meant that Anish Giri, who won the open section with a score of 8/11, pocketed the $90,000. Vaishali’s triumph, meanwhile, should have earned her a sum of $40,000 (approximately Rs 35 lakh). However, thanks to her finishing on the same number of points as second-place finisher Kateryna Lagno, both players will split the prize money in half as per FIDE’s rules for the Grand Swiss tournament.
“All prize money shall be divided equally between players with the same final score,” FIDE notes in its regulations for the tournament.
In fact, just by winning this year, Anish Giri earned more prize money than all the three women’s winner from three editions put together.
Vaishali Rameshbabu with Praggnanandhaa and their mother Nagalakshmi after Vaishali’s win in round 6 of the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss in Samarkand. (PHOTO: Michal Walusza / FIDE)
The prize money this year for the two Grand Swiss tournaments, played side-by-side, were up from the last edition in 2023. A FIDE statement before the start of the event in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand noted: The Open prize fund rose from $4,60,000 to $6,25,000, a 36% increase, while the Women’s fund saw an even bigger leap, from $1,40,000 to $2,30,000—up 64%.
Here’s how the prize money has increased:
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“A prize fund increase of this scale isn’t just about numbers—it’s a statement. But it is not just about the prizes. Year after year, FIDE is delivering on our promise to provide more opportunities and better conditions for the wider range of players,” FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky had said before the start of the event.
Vaishali Rameshbabu with her mother Nagalakshmi and Kateryna Lagno after Vaishali’s win in round 6 of the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss in Samarkand. (PHOTO: Michal Walusza / FIDE)
It must be noted that the Grand Swiss is an Open event, which means any female player who meets the qualification criteria, can compete in the event. This year, among the 116 contenders in FIDE Grand Swiss were two female grandmasters, India’s Divya Deshmukh and Aleksandra Goryachkina. The women’s event, meanwhile, had 56 players.
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