At the IV El Llobregat open in Spain on Friday, Vaishali Rameshbabu, sister of chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, achieved the distinction of being the third female grandmaster from India, following Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. She achieved this feat surpassing the 2,500 International Chess Federation (FIDE) ratings.
Vaishali and her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa, being the first grandmaster siblings, have accomplished a remarkable thing. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin congratulated the two on their achievement. “We are happy that Vaishali, the first woman from Tamil Nadu, has become the third female grandmaster in India in 2023,” he said.
The chief minister further said, “For you, it has been wonderful. You two have created history by being the first sister-brother team to be qualified for the Candidates Tournament, along with your brother, R Praggnanandhaa. It is even more honorable because you are the first Grandmaster siblings.”
In his official X (previously Twitter) handle, he wrote: “We are enormously proud of your accomplishments, and your remarkable journey serves as an inspiration to aspiring chess enthusiasts and a testament to women’s empowerment in our state.”
In November, 22-year-old Vaishali defeated three former women’s world champions to win the Women’s Grand Swiss tournament and qualify for the Women’s Candidates tournament.
The greatest title or ranking a player in chess can obtain is grandmaster. The term is about a century old and was initially used as a generic expression to describe a player who was better than just a master.
Vaishali had previously satisfied three GM standards. On Friday, she fulfilled the last prerequisite by obtaining the necessary number of rating points.