Meet R Vaishali- Chennai girl becomes India’s newest Chess Master, let’s praise her

It is no secret that India has produced countless brightest talents so much so that even other country people are mesmerized by it. Be it academics, sports or any other field, India’s aspiring minds have always lived up to their reputation and make a real case for themselves as successful assets.

R Vaishali’s story is one that needs to be told to inspire the young minds of the nation. She became India’s latest Woman Grandmaster (WGM). She is only 17 years old and is the elder sister of R Praggnanandhaa who became the second-youngest grandmaster in the world in June this year. She got her third and final Woman Grandmaster norm at the 8th Riga Technical University (RTU) Open chess tournament held in Riga, Latvia.

Incidentally, R Vaishali got her second WGM norm at the Gredine Open, the same tournament that saw her younger sibling script history.

Meanwhile, Vaishali’s coach RB Ramesh wasn’t surprised by Vaishali’s resurgence in the sport. “Just like Praggu (Praggnanandhaa), Vaishali too has been extremely hardworking and talented. She went through a rough patch in the last few years but overcame that by working extra hard on her game. I feel Vaishali’s next target should be to become a men’s GM,” Ramesh was quoted as saying by TOI.

Before taking part in the event in Latvia, Vaishali was part of the Indian women’s team that ended up with a gold medal in the blitz category of the Asian Nations Cup held in Hamadan, Iran.

R Praggnanandha declared joint-winner at London Chess Classic

The 14-year-old chess master R Praggnanandhaa became the second youngest in the world to inch past the 2600 ELO rating on Thursday and put on a candid show to win the title with 7.5 points from 9 rounds.

The young Indian talented shared the prize with Australian GM Anton Smirnov.

He had earlier won the Xtracon Open in Denmark in July. He followed that by clinching the World Youth Championships in Mumbai in October.

Looked at as the next big thing in chess, Praggnanandhaa again showed his tremendous temperament and skill to notch up a hard-fought tournament win.

Following another remarkable show, R Praggnanandhaa will be vying to add more points to end the year on a high. With the kind of form he is in, it is certain that he would add one more accolade to his trophy cabinet.

The superb performance in London earned him 15 ELO points and his rating stands at 2601. Praggnanandhaa will be looking forward to adding more rating points when he participates at the Sunway Sitges Open starting in Barcelona from December 13.

Praggnanandha taught many people that age is just a number as anything in the world is possible. It’s all about the passion, grit and determination that keeps one alive and energetic in the concerned field. His inspiration is none other than the legendary Vishwanath Anand.

Having achieved one of the greatest feats in his career at such a young age, he should have got immense praises from all corners of the world. But, unfortunately, the media has never taken any note of this. The typical media is not fond of giving equal praises to each sport.