UNITED KINGDOM: R Vaishali and Vidit Gujrathi clinched the women’s and open category titles respectively in the FIDE Grand Swiss in a rare double for India on the world stage, with both players also qualifying for the prestigious Candidates tournament.
While Vaishali played out a draw with Batkhuyag Mungutuul of Mongolia in the 11th and final round to bag the women’s title on Sunday night, Vidit beat Alexandr Predke of Serbia to record his seventh victory in the event and take the top spot in open section.
Both Vaishali and Vidit ended with identical 8.5 points apiece and stayed a half point clear of nearest rivals. Humpy is likely to qualify by virtue of her high rating but the decision will be known only in January 2024.
For now it’s Vaishali all the way. A new star for India Chess is born after a gap of 12 long years. It was in 2011 that D Harika became the second Grandmaster from India.