R Vaishali, on Friday, December 1, crossed 2500 FIDE ratings and became the third female Grandmaster (GM) from India, and the first from the state of Tamil Nadu. The 22-year-old was playing at the IV El Llobregat Open in Spain where she defeated Turkish FM Tamer Tarik Selbes in the second round and earned the title of a Grandmaster. With this record, Vaishali and her brother Praggnanandhaa have also made history by becoming the first sister-brother duo to have earned the Grandmaster title.
Praggnanandhaa, in August 2023, made headlines after finishing as the runner up at the FIDE World Cup 2023. He lost to World Number 1 Magnus Carlsen in the final round of the tournament but recorded two stunning victories against Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamaru, the third and second best ranked players in the world.
Read: From child prodigy to FIDE World Cup finals: The rise of 18-yr-old Praggnanandhaa
Shortly after Praggnanadhaa’s return from the FIDE World Cup 2023, Vaishali participated and recorded a win in the FIDE Grand Swiss event and qualified for the women’s Candidates Tournament. It is to be noted that the winner of the Candidates will play in the World Championship against the reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun.
The siblings’ father Rameshbabu, a bank employee from Chennai had earlier told TNM that while Vaishali was the first of them to have taken interest in chess, Praggnanandhaa, at three-and-a-half years of age also began showing interest in the sport. “Our financial situation was such that we could hardly manage to fund her (Vaishali) classes and ferry her around. And when Praga took a keen interest in chess, my wife and I could not afford to let him pursue it," he said. Despite their financial situation, the passion that both the siblings showed towards playing chess, pushed Rameshbabu and his wife to put them in coaching classes.
Read: The making of a chess champion: Praggnanandhaa’s journey to the World Cup final
Both Vaishali and Praggnanadhaa have travelled across the world for various tournaments from a very young age and have now made history as Grandmasters at the ages of 22 and 18 respectively.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Saturday, December 2, in a statement lauded Vaishali on her achievement and pointed that alongside her brother R Praggnanandhaa, the siblings have made history by becoming the first-ever Grandmaster duo.
He wrote, “Huge congrats, @chessvaishali, on becoming the third female Grandmaster from India and the first from Tamil Nadu! 2023 has been splendid for you. Alongside your brother @rpragchess, you've made history as the first sister-brother duo to qualify for the #Candidates tournament. Adding to the glory, you are now the first-ever Grandmaster siblings. We're immensely proud of your achievements, and your remarkable journey is an inspiration to aspiring chess enthusiasts and a testament to women's empowerment in our state!”
The siblings’ coach RB Ramesh also took to X (formerly known as twitter) and said, “Amazing news! Congratulations @chessvaishali for becoming India’s latest Grand Master ! Proud of you! Huge team effort! Sandipan, @vishy64theking , @WacaChess , RAMCO group Mr. Venkatram Raja, @KanikaSubbiah , the parents , Bloom chess academy and so many more. This coming on the 15th anniversary of @chessgurukul makes it doubly sweet!”
Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli are the other two female Indian Grandmasters from India. Harika Dronavalli also took to X to congratulate the latest GM from India.