Vaishali Rameshbabu has emerged victorious at the Women’s Candidates Tournament, a hard-fought competition that saw her overcome Kateryna Lagno in the final round. With this crucial win, Vaishali secured the sole first place with a score of 8½ out of 14. This outstanding performance grants her the prestigious opportunity to challenge the current World Champion, Ju Wenjun, for the title.
The tournament also saw Bibisara Assaubayeva secure the second position outright after a draw against Divya Deshmukh. Zhu Jiner and Aleksandra Goryachkina concluded the tournament sharing the third and fourth spots. Early impressions from the players were captured by Arne Kähler.