A brother-sister duo that is having a grand year on the chess tour
Siblings R. Praggnanandhaa and R. Vaishali are making history as the world's first brother-sister Grandmaster duo in chess. Both players are preparing for the upcoming Chess Olympiad after a year of significant individual achievements.
Why it matters
The success of these siblings highlights the rising prominence of Indian chess players on the global stage.
They are the world’s first brother-sister Grandmaster duo. And this is turning out to be their grandest year on the chessboard.
R. Praggnanandhaa and R. Vaishali have already recorded some of their finest performances this year. How Vaishali won the Candidates tournament after starting out as the eight seed in a field of eight in Cyprus in April has been the biggest story of the year in women’s chess so far.
She became the first Indian woman to win the Candidates and will now play China’s Ju Wenjun for the World championship. Koneru Humpy is the only Indian to have contested the Women’s World championship.
After her greatest moment, Vaishali had told this correspondent over the phone from Cyprus how helpful the presence of her younger brother was at the Candidates tournament. Personally for Praggnanandhaa, it was a tournament to forget, though: in the open event he finished seventh.
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