Vaishali beats Lagno, wins hard-fought Women’s Candidates Tournament

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 for the world title. Bibisara Assaubayeva drew with Divya Deshmukh and finished in sole second place, while Zhu Jiner and Aleksandra Goryachkina shared third. Despite entering the final round with six players still in contention, the tournament was decided without the need for playoffs. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde