Vaishali Rameshbabu achieved the title of India’s third female Grandmaster by exceeding a 2500 rating at the 2023 IV Elllobregat Open on Saturday. This accomplishment now establishes Vaishali and her younger brother, the chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, as the inaugural pair of Grandmaster siblings in history, as reported by BBC.
A star in her own right, Vaishali’s achievements were somewhat overshadowed by the meteoric rise of her younger brother Praggnanandhaa, who became the second-youngest Grandmaster in 2018.
At the age of 22, Vaishali is emerging from the shadows and stepping into the limelight – although her achievements and talent were never in question. She became a Woman International Master at 15, Woman Grandmaster at 17 and International Master at 20.
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Sibling Grandmasters: Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali
According to BBC, she was the first in her family to play chess. Older than Praggnanandhaa by four years, she has now ended India’s 12-year wait for a female Grandmaster – becoming only the third woman after Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli to hold the title.
Like Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali started playing chess at a young age. Their mother Nagalaxmi once explained that her two children spent too much time in front of the television, and so she enrolled them in chess classes. The rest, as they say, is history.
In a recent interview with the New Indian Express, the siblings’ coach, RB Ramesh, discussed their playing styles. He mentioned that initially, both had a similar approach that gradually evolved in slightly different directions. Describing them as extremely hardworking and dedicated to chess, Ramesh highlighted that both Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali have focused intensively on chess, foregoing regular school attendance from a young age to pursue their passion for the game.
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