Vaishali Rameshbabu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Vaishali Rameshbabu |
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Vaishali in 2025
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| Country | India |
| Born | 21 June 2001 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Title | Grandmaster (2024) |
| Peak rating | 2506 (August 2024) |
Vaishali Rameshbabu (born on June 21, 2001) is a talented Indian chess grandmaster. She has achieved many great things in the world of chess.
Vaishali won the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament twice. She first won it in 2023 and then successfully defended her title in 2025. These wins helped her qualify for the Women's Candidates Tournament in both 2024 and 2026. She then won the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026, which gave her the chance to challenge Ju Wenjun for the Women's World Chess Championship.
She also earned a bronze medal at the Women's World Blitz Championship 2024.
Contents
About Vaishali's Life
Vaishali was born in Chennai, a city in Tamil Nadu, India, on June 21, 2001. Her father, Rameshbabu, works at a bank. Her mother, Nagalakshmi, takes care of their home.
Vaishali has a younger brother named R Praggnanandhaa. He is also a chess grandmaster! They are the first brother and sister in history to both achieve this high title in chess.
Vaishali's Chess Journey
Vaishali started playing chess at a young age and quickly showed her talent.
Early Wins and Titles
- In 2012, she won the Girls' World Youth Chess Championship for players under 12 years old.
- She won the same championship again in 2015, this time for players under 14.
- A very exciting moment happened in 2013 when Vaishali was just 12. She played against the future World Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen, in a special game called a simul. She managed to defeat him!
- She won the National Junior Girls Chess Championship (India) two years in a row, in 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, Vaishali earned the title of Woman International Master (WIM). This is a special title given to strong female chess players. At that time, she was ranked second among girls in India and 12th in the world for players under 16. Her Elo rating, which measures a player's skill, was 2300.
She became a Woman Grandmaster (WGM) in 2018. She achieved this by completing her final "norm" at a tournament in Riga, Latvia. A "norm" is a high-level performance needed to earn a chess title.
Team Success and International Recognition
Vaishali was part of the Indian team that won a gold medal at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020. This was a historic win, as it was India's first-ever medal in this event.
In 2021, she earned the title of International Master (IM). The next year, in 2022, she won the 8th Fischer Memorial tournament. This win helped her get closer to the Grandmaster title.
She was invited to play in the FIDE Women's Speed Chess Championship 2022. There, she beat other strong players, including the Women's World Blitz Chess Champion, Bibisara Assaubayeva.
Vaishali also played for India at the 44th Chess Olympiad in 2022. Her team won a bronze medal, and she also won an individual bronze medal for her performance on Board 3.
Becoming a Grandmaster
In 2023, Vaishali competed in the Tata Steel Challengers. She showed her strength by defeating two Grandmasters with very high ratings.
Later in 2023, at the Qatar Masters Open, Vaishali achieved her final Grandmaster "norm." She finished with a great score and also won the top prize for women in the tournament.
A big moment came when Vaishali won the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament 2023 in the Isle of Man. She played incredibly well, not losing a single game! This victory qualified her for the Women's Candidates Tournament 2024 in Canada. With this, she and her brother Praggnanandhaa became the first sister-brother pair to qualify for the Candidates Tournaments.
In December 2023, at a tournament in Spain, Vaishali's Elo rating went above 2500. This was the final step needed to become a Grandmaster. She officially became the third woman from India and the 84th person overall in India to achieve this title.
The India Chess Federation officially submitted her Grandmaster Title Application to FIDE on January 31, 2024.
Vaishali is also the first female Grandmaster from her home state of Tamil Nadu.
Recent Achievements
Vaishali was part of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in the women's event.
She won a bronze medal in the Women's World Blitz Chess Championship. She reached the semifinals but was defeated by the eventual winner, Ju Wenjun.
Vaishali successfully defended her Grand Swiss title at the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 in Uzbekistan. This win qualified her for the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026.
She then won the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026 in Cyprus. This amazing victory earned her the right to play against Ju Wenjun for the Women's World Chess Championship 2026.
Awards and Honors
National Awards
- Arjuna Award: 2024 - This is a very important sports award in India.
