Vaishali Rameshbabu

The Indian grandmaster who will challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World Championship in 2027. Vaishali won the 2026 Women’s Candidates, beating Kateryna Lagno in the final round to finish on 8½/14.

She has won the Women’s Grand Swiss twice, in 2023 and 2025, and was part of India’s gold-medal women’s team at the 2024 Olympiad. She and her younger brother, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, are the first brother and sister to both become grandmasters and to both reach the Candidates.