Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa became the first sister-brother duo to attain Grandmaster status.

Vaishali Rameshbabu, the sister of chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, became India's third female Grandmaster on Saturday after surpassing 2500 rating during the 2023 IV Elllobregat Open. Vaishali and her younger brother have become the first Grandmaster siblings duo in history with this accomplishment.

3 things you need to know

• R Praggnanandhaa is the only Indian after Viswanathan Anand to reach the final of the Chess World Cu
• Vaishali has become the third female Grandmaster from India
• Vaishali becomes 3rd female GM and 84th overall from India

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R Vaishali becomes 3rd female GM from India

She has also worked with legends such as Viswanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Dibyendu Barua, R Praggnanandhaa, and others. 

“I am very happy to finally completed the title. It’s just two rounds. I am also focusing on the tournament. But I am really happy with the GM title,” Vaishali told Chess.com

“I’ve finally achieved a goal of mine since I started playing chess. I was so close to it so, I was really excited but there was some pressure as well. My game was not so good in the middle but somehow, I managed to win.

“I have qualified for the candidates and hopefully win this tournament.”

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Vaishali's rise to the top

Vaishali's chess journey has intersected with that of her brother Praggnanandhaa. They have constantly had parallel success, winning medals in many tournaments such as the double bronze in the Olympiad and double silver in the Asian Games.

Vaishali was introduced to chess by her father, Rameshbabu, who was a chess enthusiast himself. Recognizing his daughter's ability, he enrolled her in chess lessons when she was five years old. She advanced swiftly, winning multiple state and national-level tournaments in her age group.