India’s chess star Vaishali R has once again made the nation proud by successfully defending her Women’s Grand Swiss title. The victory earns her a spot in next year’s Candidates Tournament, bringing her one step closer to a chance to face the reigning world champion.
Speaking to CNBC-TV18, Vaishali said she was thrilled with her performance. “I’m very happy with the way I played in the Grand Swiss. And it’s my second win after the previous year. The 2023 Grand Swiss win took me some time to process because back then, Candidates was not in my plan at all. It just happened that I won the 2023 Grand Swiss and qualified for Candidates. But this time, when I went for the tournament, I really wanted to win. So, I’m very happy; everything went as planned,” she said.Viswanathan Anand, co-founder of the West Asian Chess Academy (WACA), praised the achievement and highlighted the emotional journey behind such victories. “Typically, we follow the game till the matter is kind of resolved, you’re tense, and then afterward, you’re tense to see if the final result actually matches, that nothing goes wrong, then you sit back and feel good because each of these things doesn’t happen in one day. There’s a lot of months of work, and so on. You kind of relive that experience, so to speak,” Anand said.
Vaishali’s back-to-back victories mark a historic moment for Indian chess, showcasing not just talent but also the determination and preparation required at the highest levels of the game.(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
