R VAISHALI WINS CANDIDATES AT CYPRRUS

 

25 year old R. Vaishali won the Candidates tournament in Chess at Cyprus to challenge the current world champion in the championship match 2026.

She is the elder sister of R. Praggnanandha

Rameshbabu Praggnanandha (born on 10 August 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster. A chess prodigy, he was  placed second in the 2023 Chess World Cup, and won the 2025 FIDE Circuit. He was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the men's team competition, and the gold medal in the open section at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024. He had won the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025

 R Vaishali (Rameshbabu Vaishali) is the elder sister of R Praggnanandha. Born on June 21, 2001, she is a Grandmaster and had  recently won the 2026 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. They are recognized as the world's first-ever brother-sister Grandmaster pair.

Her father says, "In these 20 years, she has put in a lot of effort and struggled a lot, so it has finally come to fruition. I tell her: if you work hard you will always get results. I'm feeling very happy and proud."

Interesting factor is, her mother Nagalakshmi had diverted her to chess to keep her away from the smartphone and the social media when she was a child.

Nagalakshmi knows no Chess. 

She prepares excellent Rasam.

She accompanies her children and takes care of what they eat.

She is the greatest support to both the Chess Grandmasters .