WR Women's Chess Tour 2026: Vaishali Rameshbabu Wins Asia Leg Rapid
Vaishali Rameshbabu is in a red-hot form, after winning the Candidates 2026 and qualifying for the World Championship match against Ju Wenjun. Vaishali played her 1st event in Tokyo. It was the opening leg of the WR Women's Chess Tour, which is a global knockout circuit featuring five legs across four continents in 2026, with a total prize fund of $200,000. Vaishali showed her consistency and won the Rapid event. En route, she defeated IM Irene Sukandar, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, and IM Alua Nurman in the finals. Photo: Lennart Ootes
8 Players-1 Winner
It is an 8-player single-elimination knockout tournament with the Rapid time control of 15 minutes + 10 seconds increment from move 1. Vaishali defeated IM Irene Sukandar (1.5-0.5) in the quarter finals, then GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (1.5-0.5) in the semifinals, and finally IM Alua Nurman (1.5-0.5) in the finals. On the 7th June, Blitz Knockouts will take place.
Final Standings after Rapid
Rank | Player | Result |
|---|---|---|
1st | Vaishali Rameshbabu | Rapid winner (final 1.5–0.5) |
2 | Alua Nurman | Rapid runner-up |
3 | Alexandra Kosteniuk | Rapid semifinalist |
3 | Kateryna Lagno | Rapid semifinalist |
Replay all Games
Lineup
Live Broadcast
Important Links
Tokyo Leg: Details
Socials: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube