(May 12, 2024) Ever since she was little, R Vaishali found herself drawn to an 8×8 square grid with alternating dark and light squares – a chessboard. She would spend hours learning the game and coming up with strategies to oust her opponents. She harboured the dream of becoming a grandmaster someday, and that day finally arrived this month when R Vaishali was named India’s 84th Grandmaster. “Achieving the title was a dream come true,” said the 22-year-old chess player, who is the sister of Pragganandhaa, India’s youngest Grandmaster.
Vaishali achieved the necessary 2500 ELO points during the Llobregat Open tournament in Spain, making her the third Indian woman, following Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli, to attain the title of Grandmaster. Nevertheless, she received the title officially during the FIDE Council meeting at the Candidates Tournament in Toronto last month. “Yeah, it took some time to get it official, but I’m happy that the title is finally out. I was okay with it (the delay),” the Global Indian said.
R Vaishali is India’s 84th Grandmaster
The long wait
In 2018, she achieved the title of Woman Grandmaster after fulfilling her final norm at the Riga Technical University Open in Riga, Latvia. However, she had to wait for six long years to obtain the GM title, and those years filled her with doubt, especially after her ratings stagnated due to the lack of competition during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In between, I could not play any tournament for two years due to the (Covid-19) pandemic. But I was working throughout, trying to improve my game. I completed my International Master (IM) cycle post-pandemic (in 2021),” she said, adding, “Although I was improving my game slowly, my rating became stagnant. There were some low moments when I felt I might not get the title, but people believed in me and helped me to attain it.”
It was only a week before the Llobregat Open tournament in Spain that R Vaishali decided to participate as she was just short of three points to achieve the title of Grandmaster. “My only goal to participate in the tournament was to get the title, and I was glad that I achieved it in the first two rounds,” said the Arjuna Awardee.
R Vaishali receives Arjuna Award
Hooked to the boardgame
Born in Chennai to a banker father and a homemaker mother, R Vaishali got interested in chess at a young age. At the age of 12 in 2013, she scored a victory against the future World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen during a simultaneous exhibition match that Carlsen conducted while visiting her hometown of Chennai for the World Chess Championship 2013. Three years later, she attained the title of Woman International Master (WIM), and by October of the same year, she held the second rank in India and was ranked as the 12th best U16 girl player globally. During this period, her Elo rating stood at 2300.
Two Grandmasters under one roof
Growing up, she played friendly matches with her brother R Pragganandhaa. Together they are the first brother-sister duo to become Grandmasters in chess history. Talking about her relationship with Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali stated, “We talk a lot about our games, which is natural since we have been playing together since our childhood.” “He helps me a lot with my game. It’s great to have such a strong player at home with whom I can discuss more about the game at any time.”
R Vaishali with mom Nagalakshmi and brother Pragganandhaa
After getting the GM title, she is now looking up to the World Championship and “playing against some of the best women chess players in the world.” Though she is currently pursuing a PG Diploma course in Human Resource Management, R Vaishali is keen to pursue chess as a career. “I am in the final year of my Human Resource Management course after having completed my B Com. But I don’t have any academic aspirations. I just want to complete this PG and focus on playing chess full-time and professionally,” says the girl who has found her support system in her parents. While her mother accompanies her to the tournaments on most occasions, her father takes care of the logistics, planning, and finances. “In fact, both of them take care of most of our needs, which indeed helps us focus more on our game. Really grateful to them,” she added.
Making the right noise – globally
It was in 1988 that Vishwanathan Anand became India’s first grandmaster and now R Vaishali is the 84th Grandmaster. Calling him an inspiration for chess players in India, she said, “It all started with one man – Anand sir, and it has reached where it is now. He has brought in many changes, and his Westbridge Anand Chess Academy, of which I am a part too, has helped us train with some of the top trainers. Moreover, he inspires us and encourages us.”
The game of chess has been booming in India in a big way in the last few decades, and R Vaishali credits government support. “Moreover, a lot of sponsors are coming in, and tournaments happening in India which is helping the chess players shine. As we speak, there must be someone else who must be in the making of the 85th grandmaster title,” says the girl who loves dosa, and that’s the one thing she wants to gorge on as soon as she returns home from a tournament.
With many Indian names shining in the world of chess, R Vaishali is certain that the future looks bright. Moreover, she believes that Fishrandom chess, also known as Chess960, is the future of chess. “Going forward, we will have more Fishrandom tournaments.”
India’s 84th Grandmaster, R Vaishali, is happy that she is serving as an inspiration for many upcoming chess players. “I often meet a lot of kids during tournaments and I am happy that Chess is getting its due.”
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