Indian chess player Vaishali Rameshbabu, sister of chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, on Saturday became India's third female Grandmaster by surpassing 2500 rating during the 2023 IV Elllobregat Open on Saturday. 

With this achievement, Vaishali and her younger brother have become the first-ever Grandmaster siblings pair in history. She has also joined the likes of legendary Vishwanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Dibyendu Barua, and R Praggnanandhaa. 

To celebrate this joyous moment, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin congratulated the duo on their achievement. 

Earlier having fulfilled three GM norms, Vaishali completed the one final requirement on Friday by attaining the required number of rating points. She is the third female player to attain the grandmaster title, besides Humpy and Dronavalli.

The 22-year-old has defeated Turkish FM Tamer Tarik Selbes (2238) in the second round to surpass rating and has started the tournament with two consecutive wins.

“I am very happy to finally completed the title. It’s just two rounds. I am also focusing on the tournament. But I am really happy with the GM title,” told Chess.com.

“I’ve finally achieved a goal of mine since I started playing chess. I was so close to it so, I was really excited but there was some pressure as well. My game was not so good in the middle but somehow, I managed to win."