Praggnanandhaa's Sister Vaishali Rameshbabu: Is She Also a Chess Grandmaster? Everything to Know
Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnandhaa is unstoppable at the ongoing Freestyle Chess Grand Slam in Las Vegas, where he defeated world no. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a Round 4 clash on Wednesday. Praggnanandhaa has had memorable wins before, but this one against Magnus was extremely special because he only used 39 moves to end world no. 1.
Magnus Carlsen continues to struggle against Indian stars. Following Gukesh, Praggnandhaa defeated Magnus at the Chess tournament in Vegas. Coming to the tournament, Praggnanandhaa tops Group White with 4.5 points, and another Indian, Arjun Erigaisi, also advanced from Group Black. Arjun is placed third behind Hikaru Nakamura and Hans Niemann.
Who is Praggnanandhaa's Sister Vaishali Rameshbabu?
Circling back to R. Praggnanandhaa, is he the only chess grandmaster from his family? Certainly not. Praggnanandhaa has a sister named Vaishali Rameshbabu, who managed to create her own records at chess globally. Couple of years ago, Vaishali became India's third female grandmaster by surpassing a 2500 rating during the 2023 IV Ellobregat Open.
It was during this achievement that both Vaishali and her younger brother, Praggnanandhaa, became the first-ever grandmaster sibling pair in the history of chess. As a successful chess player, Vaishali's success came in the 2023 Women's Grand Swiss Tournament, and she also won the bronze medal at the Women's World Blitz Chess Championship 2024.
Born in Chennai in 2001, Vaishali is currently 24 years old, and her father, Rameshbabu, works as a branch manager at TNSC bank, whereas her mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker. Vaishali Rameshbabu is the first female grandmaster to emerge from the state of Tamil Nadu, and even though her younger brother Praggnanandhaa's achievements are being celebrated widely, Vaishali has definitely made a name for herself with numerous titles and accolades.
