:Vaishali Rameshbabu

{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}

{{Infobox chess player

| name = Vaishali Rameshbabu

| image = Vaishali in 2025 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Vaishali in 2025

| country = India

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2001|06|21|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

| title = Grandmaster (2024)

| peakrating = 2506 (August 2024)

| FideID = 5091756

}}

Vaishali Rameshbabu (born 21 June 2001) is an Indian chess grandmaster.{{Cite web |title=Vaishali, Rameshbabu |url=https://ratings.fide.com/profile/5091756 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=ratings.fide.com}}{{Cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/crt/main228003.pdf|title=FIDE Title Application (GM)|accessdate=27 March 2025}} She emerged victorious in the Women's Grand Swiss Tournament 2023, securing qualification for the Women's Candidates Tournament 2024. She won the bronze medal at Women's World Blitz Chess Championship 2024. She is the elder sister of chess grandmaster Praggnanandhaa.{{Cite web |date=2023-12-02 |title=Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa make history as the first-ever brother-sister duo to become Grandmasters |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/vaishali-and-praggnanandhaa-make-history-as-the-first-ever-brother-sister-duo-to-become-grandmasters-9051083/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}

Personal life

Vaishali was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 21 June 2001. Her father, Rameshbabu, works as a branch manager at TNSC Bank,{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.in/chess/story/_/id/23951582/chess-praggnanandhaa-boy-king|title=Praggnanandhaa: The boy who could be king|date=1 July 2018|author=Susan Ninan|website=ESPN}} and her mother, Nagalakshmi, is a homemaker.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-67516871|title=The Indian siblings taking the chess world by storm|date=2 December 2023|author=Susan Ninan|website=BBC}} Her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa is also a chess grandmaster.

Career

Vaishali won the Girls' World Youth Chess Championship for Under-12s in 2012 and Under-14s in 2015.{{cite web |url=https://celebrityxyz.com/chess-player/praggnanandhaa-r |title=Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaaa celebrity xyz page |access-date=29 December 2019}} 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.{{Citation |title=The girl who defeated Magnus at the age of 12 {{!}} Vaishali Rameshbabu | date=8 September 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM7Us4hX1tU |access-date=2023-10-16 |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=2013-08-19 |title=Carlsen happy with arrangements for World Championship match |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/carlsen-happy-with-arrangements-for-world-championship-match/articleshow/21918747.cms |access-date=2023-10-21 |issn=0971-8257}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/chess/r-vaishali-woman-grandmaster-praggnanandhaa/article24676965.ece |title=R. Vaishali becomes Grand Master |date=13 August 2018 |access-date=29 December 2019}}

Vaishali was the part of the gold medal-winning team{{Cite web |date=2020-09-18 |title=The entire Gold medal winning Indian team from Online Olympiad 2020 interviewed by ChessBase India - ChessBase India |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/12-interviews-from-the-Online-Olympiad-2020 |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.chessbase.in}} at Online Olympiad 2020, where India won its first ever medal.{{Cite web |date=2020-08-30 |title=The Triumph of the twelve brave Olympians - ChessBase India |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/India-wins-the-FIDE-Online-Chess-Olympiad-2020-alongside-Russia- |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=www.chessbase.in}}

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.{{Cite news |agency=Press Trust of India |date=2017-05-24 |title=Asian champ Vaishali sets her sight at Grand Master title |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/asian-champ-vaishali-sets-her-sight-at-grand-master-title-117052401304_1.html |access-date=2022-05-06}}{{Cite web |last=Rao |first=Rakesh |title=Fischer Memorial: Vaishali makes second GM norm, wins title |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/chess/vaishali-makes-second-gm-norm-wins-title-fischer/article38484766.ece |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Sportstar |date=4 May 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite web |author=News9 Staff |date=2022-05-04 |title=Indian woman grandmaster R Vaishali secures 2nd GM norm by winning Greek chess event |url=https://www.news9live.com/sports/indian-woman-grandmaster-r-vaishali-secures-2nd-gm-norm-by-winning-greek-chess-event-168151 |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=NEWS9LIVE |language=en |archive-date=6 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506132409/https://www.news9live.com/sports/indian-woman-grandmaster-r-vaishali-secures-2nd-gm-norm-by-winning-greek-chess-event-168151 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-04 |title=Vaishali triumphs at 8th Fischer Memorial 2022, scores her second GM-norm - ChessBase India |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Vaishali-triumphs-at-8th-Fischer-Memorial-2022-scores-her-second-GM-norm |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=www.chessbase.in}}

Vaishali was invited to participate in the FIDE Women's Speed Chess Championship 2022,{{Citation |title=Vaishali Rameshbabu Wins Women's Speed Chess Championship Qualifier #2 | date=30 May 2021 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q15HISSBZ8 |access-date=2023-09-27 |language=en}} where she defeated the Women's World Blitz Chess Champion Bibisara Assaubayeva in the round of 16,{{Cite web |date=2022-06-14 |title=FIDE WSCC 2022 Round of 16: Vaishali eliminates World Blitz Women champion Bibisara Assaubayeva - ChessBase India |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/FIDE-WSCC-2022-Round-of-16-Vaishali-eliminates-Bibisara-Assaubayeva |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=www.chessbase.in}} and compatriot Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals.{{Cite web |title=Vaishali R eliminates Dronavalli to reach semifinals |url=https://www.fide.com/news/1874 |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=www.fide.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=West (NM_Vanessa) |first=Vanessa |title=Rising Star Knocks Out Experienced Compatriot |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/2022-wscc-quarterfinals-dronavalli-vaishali |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=Chess.com |date=21 July 2022 |language=en-US}}

Vaishali played on Board 3 in the Women's section at the 44th Chess Olympiad at Mamallapuram, Chennai, in July-Aug 2022. The India women's team won the team bronze medal, and Vaishali won individual bronze 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.{{Cite web |title=Challengers standings |url=https://tatasteelchess.com/standings-challengers/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125073345/https://tatasteelchess.com/standings-challengers/ |url-status=dead }}

In the Qatar Masters Open 2023, Vaishali received her final GM norm after finishing with 5/9 and a performance rating of 2609.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-20 |title=Nodirbek Yakubboev wins Qatar Masters in blitz tiebreaks |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/qatar-masters-2023-r9 |access-date=2023-10-21 |website=Chess News |language=en}} She also won the top women's prize in the tournament, after finishing with better tiebreaks (performance rating) than compatriot Divya Deshmukh.

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 2024 Women's Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Canada.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-06 |title=Vaishali Wins Women's Grand Swiss, Vidit Also Gets Close To Title Triumph |url=https://www.news18.com/sports/vaishali-wins-womens-grand-swiss-vidit-also-gets-close-to-title-triumph-8649995.html |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=News18 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Sportstar |first=Team |date=2023-11-05 |title=Vaishali draws last round to win FIDE Women Grand Prix 2023 |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/chess/r-vaishali-wins-fide-women-grand-prix-2023-draws-last-round/article67502223.ece |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=Sportstar |language=en}} She and her younger brother Praggnanandhaa became the first sister-brother duo to qualify for the respective Candidates.

In December, at the IV El Llobregat Open Tournament 2023 in Spain, Vaishali crossed the 2500 Elo rating threshold, thereby fulfilling all of the requirements for the Grandmaster title and becoming the third woman and 84th person in India to do so.{{Cite web |title=R Vaishali becomes grandmaster, joins R Praggnanandhaa to become world's first brother-sister GM duo |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/other-sports/story/r-vaishali-becomes-grandmaster-joins-r-praggnanandhaa-to-become-worlds-first-brother-sister-gm-duo-2470352-2023-12-02 |access-date=2023-12-02 |website=India Today |date=2 December 2023 |language=en}}

On January 21, 2024, the India Chess Federation submitted a Grandmaster Title Application on behalf of Vaishali to the FIDE Qualification Committee, which administers FIDE titles.{{Cite web |title=FIDE TITLE REGULATIONS |url=https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B012024 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=International Chess Federation (FIDE) |language=en}}

She and her brother Praggnanandhaa are the first sister and brother to earn grandmaster titles, with Praggnanandhaa doing so in 2018. She is also the first female grandmaster from Tamil Nadu.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uniindia.com/news/sports/stalin-lauds-vaishali-on-becoming-first-woman-gm-from-tn/3097819.html|title=Stalin lauds Vaishali on becoming first woman GM from TN|accessdate=27 March 2025}}

As of 22 January 2025 her rating is 2476 classical and world rank is 808.

Awards

= National =

Arjuna Award: 2024{{Cite web |date=2023-12-20 |title=Sports Ministry confirms Arjuna award for Mohammed Shami; Khel Ratna to Satwik and Chirag - Check full list of winners |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/others/arjuna-award-for-mohammed-shami-khel-ratna-to-satwik-rankireddy-chirag-shetty-full-list-sports-ministry-confirms-101703083931102.html |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports |url=http://pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=151772 |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=pib.gov.in |language=en}}