Being the third Indian female chess player to achieve this feat, Vaishali Rameshbabu became the grandmaster after surpassing 2,500 International Chess Federation (FIDE) ranking points on Friday at the IV El Llobregat Open in Spain.
Vaishali completed the last requirement on Friday by obtaining the necessary number of rating points, having previously satisfied three GM norms.
Other than Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli, she is the third female player to achieve the title of grandmaster. She now holds this title alongside more than eighty other Indian chess players, such as the renowned Vishwanathan Anand, Humpy, Dronavalli, Dibyendu Barua, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, and others. Vaishali Rameshbabu and Praggnanandhaa
In addition, Vaishali is the sister of the 18-year-old chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa, who makes them the first-ever grandmaster siblings in the annals of the game.
MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, congratulated the pair on their accomplishment.
“Congratulations, @chessvaishali, on becoming the first female Grandmaster from Tamil Nadu and the third female Grandmaster from India! For you, 2023 has been fantastic. You two have created history by becoming the first sister-brother team to earn a spot in the #Candidates tournament, along with your brother @rpragchess. To top it all off, you are the first Grandmaster siblings ever. We’re so proud of all that you’ve accomplished, and your incredible journey serves as both a model for aspiring chess players and evidence of women’s empowerment in our state! “#TamilNaduPride@Udhaystalin @ChessbaseIndia @FIDE_chess,” Stalin posted on Twitter using his official X account, which was formerly Twitter.
