Candidates 2026: From a 19-year-old grandmaster who brought good vibes to a guru who shaped her destiny, meet R Vaishali’s team that helped her off the board
Indian Express·2h ago·Positivity
What Happened
R Vaishali qualified for the Women's World Chess Championship after winning the Candidates tournament. Her support team included five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand as mentor, grandmaster RB Ramesh as long-time coach, grandmaster Sandipan Chanda for preparation, nineteen-year-old grandmaster Pranesh for morale support, and grandmaster Adhiban Bhaskaran for encouragement. Vaishali kept her seconds' identities confidential.
Key Entities
R VaishaliWomen's World Chess ChampionshipViswanathan AnandRB RameshSandipan ChandaPraneshAdhiban BhaskaranJu WenjunWestbridge Anand Chess Academy