On 1st December, Vaishali Rameshbabu, 22, became the third Indian woman to hold the prestigious Grandmaster title in chess.
Her younger brother Praggnanandhaa received the title in 2018, making them the first siblings ever to hold the title.
What is a chess Grandmaster?
According to Chess.com, a Grandmaster is a title awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE). It is second only to the World Champion title, but once achieved, it is held for life rather than being won every year.
FIDE began awarding the title in 1950. The criteria have changed over the years, but they currently award it to a player who achieves a ‘2500 FIDE classical (or ‘standard’) rating and three GM norms.’ The rules around gaining a ‘norm’ are extremely complicated, but it essentially involves performing highly in a sufficiently diverse international tournament.
There are over 2000 GMs worldwide, although Chess Journal notes that the exact figure is hard to determine due to the number of new GMs qualifying yearly. Most GMs are men, but FIDE also awards a Women’s Grandmaster title available to women with three norms and a rating of 2,300.
Vaishali’s achievement
Vaishali achieved her Women’s Grandmaster title in 2018 at the Riga Technical University Open, where she also earned her third norm. She finally earned her Grandmaster title after achieving the required points during the second round of IV El Llobregat Open in Spain.
In an interview with Chess.com, Vaishali said,
‘I’m very happy to have completed the title…Becoming GM has been my goal since I started playing chess.”
Her achievement places her alongside Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli, the only other Indian female Grandmasters.
Having achieved the title in only the second round of the tournament, however, she’s still looking ahead. She told the interviewer her next goal is to win the Candidates Tournament in April next year, which she has qualified for.
Successful siblings
As her brother Praggnanandhaa achieved the Grandmaster title in 2018, Vaishali’s achievement makes them the first brother-sister combination ever to hold the title. They are also the first sibling pair to qualify for the Candidates Tournament, which they will compete in next year.
Praggnanandhaa, who was 12 years old when he became a Grandmaster, spoke to FIDE in an interview last month when it became clear his sister was getting close. He told the interviewer he has known Vaishali had ‘GM strength’ for a while now and is ‘happy to see that she is finally getting where she belongs’.
So, how did the two siblings both achieve such success? Both siblings trained under Grandmaster RB Ramesh from a young age. During the early years, Vaishali, four years older, was always the higher-rated of the two. She told the BBC of the difficulties she faced when the ratings of the two siblings reversed:
‘When Pragg became the youngest International Master [one below Grandmaster], he crossed my rating for the first time. Suddenly at home, the focus was entirely on him…It upset me. I don’t think I managed those emotions well.’
Vaishali in an interview with the BBC
The media has been obsessed with Praggnanandhaa’s story since he became the youngest person to hold the International Master title, while Vaishali was sidelined by the press. Commentators speculate that her performance suffered due to the pressure to catch up with her younger sibling.
However, she said in the same interview that resentment has subsided, especially after Vaishali got the Women’s Grandmaster title later that same year. ‘Over the last couple of years,’ she continues, ‘I’ve been proud of his achievements’.
Vaishali is listed on FIDE’s website as an International Master, a title she achieved in 2021. FIDE is expected to confirm her Grandmaster status imminently.
