Vaishali's incredible Candidates journey

by Arne Kaehler
4/16/2026 – Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women's Candidates Tournament by defeating Kateryna Lagno in the final round, finishing clear first on 8½/14 and earning the right to challenge Ju Wenjun in the match for the world title. In this interview, Vaishali looks back on the months of preparation that followed her Grand Swiss victory, discusses the support of her family and team, and explains how she coped with the pressure of a tense and closely contested tournament. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
FRITZ is more than just a chess engine – it’s a training revolution! Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.

"I was blessed from the beginning of my life"

Vaishali Rameshbabu arrived at the final round of the Women's Candidates sharing the lead with Bibisara Assaubayeva, while Zhu Jiner stood only half a point behind. With six players still holding mathematical chances of winning the event, playoffs appeared highly likely. Instead, Vaishali defeated Kateryna Lagno, finished clear first on 8½/14 and secured the right to challenge Ju Wenjun for the women's world title.

The result was unexpected from a rating perspective. Vaishali entered the tournament as the lowest-rated player in the field, and even after gaining 26 rating points with her performance in Cyprus, she remains below the 2500 mark and more than 60 points behind Ju Wenjun in the live rankings. Yet she has repeatedly shown an ability to excel in major events, having won the Women's Grand Swiss twice in a row, in 2023 and 2025.

In this interview, Vaishali explains how she prepared for the tournament after winning the Grand Swiss in September. She reveals that, following her last event in January, she spent three to four months focusing exclusively on preparation, often working on chess for most of the day. She also discusses the importance of support from her long-time coaches, family and training partners, while noting how much she relied on ChessBase for opening work and opponent preparation.

A substantial part of the conversation centres on the practical side of life during the tournament. Vaishali speaks about travelling to Cyprus with her mother and brother, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and about the role played by Pranesh M in helping her stay relaxed during the long event. She explains how her routine combined opening preparation, naps, home-cooked meals and lighter activities such as blitz, table tennis and padel, all of which helped her manage the pressure.

Vaishali also reflects on the key moments of the tournament. She admits that her first-half games were often shaky despite a solid run of draws, and describes how difficult it was to recover from her loss to Zhu Jiner when she had briefly held sole first place. According to Vaishali, advice from her coach helped her reframe the setback, while the following rest day allowed her to reset before the final push.

Full video interview

0:20 - When did you start preparing for the candidates?
1:02 - How much time did you spend on preparing in a day?
1:26 - What was helping for your preparation?
2:27 - From where and with whom did you travel to Cyprus?
4:07 - Was it your first time in Cyprus?
4:12 - How did you like the Hotel Cap St. George?
4:43 - Did your mum take the pressure cooker with her?
5:21 - Do you have any rituals before a game?
6:30 - Can you just fall asleep so easily?
7:05 - How did you learn, to find a balance when working so hard?
8:06 - The tournament
10:42 - How is it playing against Indian fellow Divya Deshmukh?
12:31 - What helped you the most preparing for the tournament?
13:55 - What do you suggest for all viewers to use in ChessBase?

Links

This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.

Topics: Candidates 2026, Vaishali Rameshbabu
Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.