Vaishali becomes GM, joins Praggnanandhaa to form world's first brother-sister Grandmasters duo
Chennai, Dec 2: Indian chess ace R Vaishali joined younger sibling R Praggnanandhaa to become the world's first-ever brother-sister Grandmasters duo and only the third woman from the country to earn the GM title, at the IV El Llobregat Open in Spain.
Vaishali achieved the feat after crossing 2500 ELO rating points on Friday. She is the country's 84th GM.
The 22-year old Chennai-based Vaishali crossed the 2500 mark at the tournament in Spain where she defeated Turkish FM Tamer Tarik Selbes in the second round.
She obtained her third GM norm at the Qatar Masters tournament in October and needed to increase her ELO rating.
They also became the first-ever brother-sister duo to make the Candidates, the qualifying event for the World Championship match. The Candidates will be held in Toronto in April.
Her younger brother Praggnanandhaa had got the GM title in 2018, when he was just 12.
Koneru Humpy and D Harika are the two other women GMs from India.
Humpy was the world's youngest female player ever, when she became a GM in 2002, at the age of 15.
Chess legend Viswanathan Anand congratulated Vaishali on social networking platform 'X'.
"She worked very hard the last few months and this augurs well as she gets ready for the candidates. Her parents and just maybe the competition at home should be congratulated.
@Rameshchess & Aarthie for being her rock," Anand wrote.
Vaishali was introduced to chess by her father, Rameshbabu, who himself was a chess player.
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Virat Kohli speaks about bond with Rohit Sharma ahead of MI vs RCB clash
Mumbai: Ahead of the IPL 2025 clash between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, RCB star batter Virat Kohli opened up about his long-standing bond with Rohit Sharma. Despite past media rumours of a rift between the two, Kohli reaffirmed the mutual respect and strong professional relationship they share.
In a conversation on the RCB channel, Kohli said, “Playing alongside someone for such a long time naturally leads to a strong bond, especially when you share so much of your understanding of the game. In the early years, we were constantly learning from each other and growing in our careers simultaneously.”
He further added that over the years, they had built trust and often found themselves on the same page while making decisions in leadership roles. “Reflecting on our long careers, we are both grateful and proud of the journey we've shared. The consistency and memories we’ve built together have been incredibly fulfilling,” he said.
Kohli and Rohit have played crucial roles in Indian cricket’s success over the past 15 years. While rumours of discord often emerged, both have consistently denied them and maintained professionalism on and off the field.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians will aim to register their second win of the season as they host RCB at the Wankhede Stadium. Led by Hardik Pandya, MI have so far won just one out of their four matches, while RCB have two victories in three games.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐎-𝐊𝐎 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝! 🫂
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) April 6, 2025
Virat Kohli talks about his equation with Rohit Sharma, and how they’ve bonded over the years and created some wonderful memories! ✨
We’re just a day away from seeing them go up against each other, and we wish them well! 😌👊#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB… pic.twitter.com/I6GHFHxgEx
