R Vaishali
Vaishali in 2023
Full nameRameshbabu Vaishali
CountryIndia
Born (2001-06-21) 21 June 2001
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
TitleGrandmaster (2023)
FIDE rating2481 (January 2024)
Peak rating2497 (December 2023)
Medal record
Representing  India
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place2022 HangzhouWomen's team

Rameshbabu Vaishali (born 21 June 2001) is an Indian chess grandmaster. She is the third woman in India to have achieved the grandmaster title,[1] making her and her brother Praggnanandhaa the first-ever brother-sister duo to achieve the grandmaster title. They also became the first-ever brother-sister duo to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.[2]

Personal life

Vaishali was born in a Tamil family in Chennai. She is the elder sibling of Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa. Her father, Rameshbabu, works at TNSC Bank as a branch manager. Her mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker.

Vaishali's father, Rameshbabu, was an enthusiastic chess player and introduced her to the game when she was a young girl.[2]

Career

Vaishali won the Girls' World Youth Chess Championship for Under-12s in 2012 and Under-14s in 2015.[3] In 2013, at age 12, she defeated future World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen in a simul competition that Carlsen held while in her hometown of Chennai for the World Chess Championship 2013.[4][5]

In 2016, she received the Woman International Master (WIM) title, and in October 2016, she was ranked second in India and World No.12 girl U16-player. At that time, she had an Elo rating of 2300.

She became a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) by completing her final norm in the Riga Technical University Open chess tournament in Riga, Latvia on 12 August 2018.[6]

Vaishali was the part of the Gold medal-winning team[7] at Online Olympiad 2020, where India won its first ever medal.[8]

She received her International Master (IM) title in 2021. In 2022, Vaishali won the 8th Fischer Memorial, scoring 7.0/9 and winning her second Grandmaster norm.[9][10][11][12]

Vaishali was invited to participate in the FIDE Women's Speed Chess Championship 2022,[13] where she defeated the Women's World Blitz Chess Champion Bibisara Assaubayeva in the round of 16,[14] and compatriot Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals.[15][16]

Vaishali played on Board 3 in the Women's section at the 44th Chess Olympiad at Mamallapuram, Chennai, in July-Aug 2022. India Women team won the Team bronze medal, and Vaishali won individual bronze medal for Board 3.

Vaishali played in the Tata Steel Challengers 2023, scoring 4.5/14 and beating two 2600 rated GMs, Luis Paulo Supi and Jerguš Pecháč. She finished twelfth in the standings overall.[17]

In the Qatar Masters Open 2023, Vaishali received her final GM norm after finishing with 5/9 and a performance rating of 2609.[18] She also won the top women's prize in the tournament, after finishing with better tiebreaks (performance rating) than compatriot Divya Deshmukh.[18]

Vaishali won the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss 2023 held in the Isle of Man by not losing a single game and scoring 8.5/11, thereby qualifying to compete in the Women's Candidates Tournament to be held in Toronto, Canada in 2024.[19][20] She and her younger brother Praggnanandhaa became the first sister-brother duo ever to qualify for the respective Candidates.[20]

In December, at the IV El Llobregat Open Tournament 2023 in Spain, Vaishali crossed the 2500 Elo rating threshold, earning her Grandmaster title and becoming the third woman and 84th grandmaster in India.[1][21] She and her younger brother Praggnanandhaa thereby became the world's first sister-brother grandmaster duo.[21]

Awards

Vaishali received Arjuna Award from the President of India on 9 January 2024.[22][23]

References

  1. 1 2 West (NM_Vanessa), Vanessa (2 December 2023). "Vaishali Achieves GM Title". Chess.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa make history as the first-ever brother-sister duo to become Grandmasters". The Indian Express. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaaa celebrity xyz page". Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  4. ↑ The girl who defeated Magnus at the age of 12 | Vaishali Rameshbabu, retrieved 16 October 2023
  5. ↑ "Carlsen happy with arrangements for World Championship match". The Times of India. 19 August 2013. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "R. Vaishali becomes Grand Master". 13 August 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "The entire Gold medal winning Indian team from Online Olympiad 2020 interviewed by ChessBase India - ChessBase India". www.chessbase.in. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "The Triumph of the twelve brave Olympians - ChessBase India". www.chessbase.in. 30 August 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Asian champ Vaishali sets her sight at Grand Master title". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Rao, Rakesh (4 May 2022). "Fischer Memorial: Vaishali makes second GM norm, wins title". Sportstar. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  11. ↑ News9 Staff (4 May 2022). "Indian woman grandmaster R Vaishali secures 2nd GM norm by winning Greek chess event". NEWS9LIVE. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Vaishali triumphs at 8th Fischer Memorial 2022, scores her second GM-norm - ChessBase India". www.chessbase.in. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  13. ↑ Vaishali Rameshbabu Wins Women's Speed Chess Championship Qualifier #2, retrieved 27 September 2023
  14. ↑ "FIDE WSCC 2022 Round of 16: Vaishali eliminates World Blitz Women champion Bibisara Assaubayeva - ChessBase India". www.chessbase.in. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "Vaishali R eliminates Dronavalli to reach semifinals". www.fide.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  16. ↑ West (NM_Vanessa), Vanessa (21 July 2022). "Rising Star Knocks Out Experienced Compatriot". Chess.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  17. ↑ "Challengers standings". Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Nodirbek Yakubboev wins Qatar Masters in blitz tiebreaks". Chess News. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  19. ↑ "Vaishali Wins Women's Grand Swiss, Vidit Also Gets Close To Title Triumph". News18. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  20. 1 2 Sportstar, Team (5 November 2023). "Vaishali draws last round to win FIDE Women Grand Prix 2023". Sportstar. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  21. 1 2 "R Vaishali becomes grandmaster, joins R Praggnanandhaa to become world's first brother-sister GM duo". India Today. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  22. ↑ "Sports Ministry confirms Arjuna award for Mohammed Shami; Khel Ratna to Satwik and Chirag - Check full list of winners". Hindustan Times. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  23. ↑ "Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 9 January 2024.


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