PM Modi congratulates Indian chess player Vaishali Rameshbabu

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Indian chess player Vaishali Rameshbabu after she successfully defended her FIDE Women's Grand Swiss title in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, securing a place in the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates tournament.

On his official X handle, PM Modi said, "Outstanding accomplishment. Congrats to Vaishali Rameshbabu. Her passion and dedication are exemplary. Best wishes for her future endeavours."

Vaishali scored 8 points in 11 rounds, finishing level with Kateryna Lagno but won on tie-breaks to clinch the title. With this feat, she became the third Indian to qualify for next year's Candidates tournament, joining Divya Deshmukh, who won the Women's World Cup, and Koneru Humpy, who reached the World Cup final.

The achievement marks yet another milestone in what has been a pathbreaking 2025 for Indian women's chess.

For Vaishali, the victory also comes as a personal resurgence. In recent months, she had struggled with form, finishing with just 1.5 points in nine rounds at the Chennai Grand Masters Challengers, losing in the World Cup quarterfinals to Tan Zhongyi, and enduring not so bright results in top events like the Norway Chess Women's Tournament, the Women's Grand Prix events in Austria and Pune, and the Tata Steel Women's Challengers.

With this triumph, she has firmly re-established herself on the big stage. (ANI)