Vaulin found considerable success in the competitive chess arena during the late 70s and 80s. His early achievements included winning the Dnipropetrovsk championship in 1978 and bagging the 3rd price in URS-chU18 in 1976.
Vaulin participated in several international chess tournaments over the years. His most notable triumphs include winning the Polanica-Zdrój in 1985. He managed to be in the top 3 in other international tournaments such as Frunze in 1985 and Cheliabinsk in 1990.