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'Waah kya jodi hain'- Fans react as Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali become first ever brother sister duo in history of chess to be Grandmasters

Vaishali Rameshbabu became the 84th Grandmaster of India and only the third Indian woman to hold the title. She and her brother Praggnanandhaa are also the first brother-sister chess duo to achieve Grandmaster status.

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Sarah Andrew
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Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in 2018, became the world's second-youngest Grandmaster, defeating five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen three times in a row in online games. He is only the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to reach a World Cup final and qualify for the Candidates competition. He achieved the world's youngest International Master at the age of ten, the second-highest rank after Grandmaster.

Vaishali Rameshbabu became the 84th Grandmaster of India and only the third Indian woman to hold the title. She and her brother Praggnanandhaa are also the first brother-sister chess duo to achieve Grandmaster status. Vaishali crossed 2500 live ratings after winning her first two matches at the ongoing Ellobregat Open in Spain. 

She and Praggnanandhaa are also set to become the first brother-sister duo to play at their respective Candidates' tournaments. Vaishali has had a fantastic year, having previously qualified for the Candidates Tournament. She and Praggnanandhaa will also be the first brother-sister team to compete in their respective Candidates' tournaments. Vaishali won the FIDE Grand Swiss event after earning her third GM norm earlier this year. She was also a member of the Asian Games women's chess squad, which won silver in the team event.

Every time he had a great result the attention was on him: Vaishali Praggnanandha

Vaishali told BBC, "When Pragg became the youngest International Master, he crossed my rating for the first time. Suddenly at home, the focus was entirely on him. It upset me. I don't think I managed those emotions well. My parents would chat with me about it and I'd be okay for a while."

"But every time he had a great result and the attention was on him, I would slip back to feeling a bit miserable. It took me some time to overcome those feelings and accept that he is exceptional. Once I completed my Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, I felt better about myself. Over the last couple of years, I've been nothing but proud of his achievements. I see the hard work behind it."

Here's how fans reacted

 

 

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