A decade later, what started as a distraction for his children and turned into a hobby has now become an obsession. The two have become the world’s most-celebrated chess siblings.
WHEN Rameshbabu starts talking about how chess became an inextricable part of his family, he starts with the story of his daughter’s love for cartoon shows when she was a pre-teen. To wean her off television, he sent her to a chess school. And he followed the same plan for his younger son, who was also an animation fan.
A decade later, what started as a distraction for his children and turned into a hobby has now become an obsession. The two have become the world’s most-celebrated chess siblings.
Months after R Praggnanandhaa, 18, secured a spot at the Candidates Tournament — an event to decide the challenger to the world champion — his sister, Vaishali R, 22, has followed the same path.
On Sunday, in the Isle of Man, Vaishali claimed a victory in the women’s category of the FIDE Grand Swiss event to make it to the women’s Candidates Tournament. Securing her third GM norm in a month, she is just three points away from the 2500 rating to be a Grandmaster like her brother.
