R Vaishali qualifies for FIDE Candidates, creates history at Grand Swiss

International Master R Vaishali beat former world champion Grandmaster Tan Zhongyi at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 on Saturday to gain a half-point lead at the top of the ladder board.

Following her sensational show in the Swiss tournament, Vaishali qualified for the 2024 FIDE Candidates with a round to spare and scripted history. The final round begins on Sunday.

Earlier Vaishali's brother Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa qualified for the 2024 Candidates with his silver medal-winning performance at the FIDE World Cup in August. Praggnanandhaa is the third youngest player after Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.

Now after Vaishali's outstanding performance at Grand Swiss, they became the first sibling pair ever to make it to both men's and women's Candidates tournaments together.

Vaishali closer to securing GM title

Her victory also demonstrated an incisive lesson in playing against a king in the centre of the board.

Vaishali now stands a chance to earn a Grandmaster title on Sunday if she wins with the Black in the final round.

"The grandmaster title has been a big dream for me since my childhood." You can listen to her analysis below," said Vaishali.

Meanwhile, in the men's category, Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi leads with ladder board along with Hikaru Nakamura and Andrey Esipenko with 7.5 points going into the last round.

Vidit beat Bogdan-Daniel Deac on Saturday. As a historic feat, there were seven decisive results on the top seven boards.

The Indian Grandmaster now stands a chance to qualify for the Candiates. If he qualifies, India will have three representations at the 2024 FIDE Candidates.