Vaishali Rameshbabu became the third Indian woman player (after Humpy Koneru and Harika Dronavalli) to earn the grandmaster title. Vaishali obtained the title by scoring a win against FM Tamer Tarik Selbes at the 2023 El Llobregat Open. Since her brother Pragganandhaa is also a grandmaster, Vaishali and Pragg became the world’s first-ever brother-sister grandmaster duo! | Photo: ChessBase India
Overview The 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss concluded on Sunday, November 5, after 11 rounds of competition in Douglas, Isle of Man. The result was a double-“V” victory for India, with GM Vidit Gujraithi and IM Vaishali Rameshbabu winning the Open and Women’s tournaments respectively, each with scores of 8½/11.
Indian chess celebrated a double victory in the recent FIDE Grand Swiss events on the Isle of Man. Vidit Gujrathi and Vaishali Rameshbabu claimed outright victories in the open and the women’s sections respectively. The ChessBase India team, led by Sagar Shah, travelled to the island in the Irish Sea and, as usual, produced a plethora of content!
A clutch win his seventh in ten games gave Vidit Gujrathi tournament victory in the open section of the FIDE Grand Swiss. The Indian grandmaster thus qualified to the 2024 Candidates Tournament. Joining him in Toronto will be Hikaru Nakamura, who finished in clear second place a half point behind. Meanwhile, another Indian player prevailed in the women’s section, as Vaishali Rameshbabu grabbed clear first place after drawing Batkhuyag Munguntuul on Sunday. Anna Muzychuk, who was already qualified to the Candidates, got second place, allowing third-placed Tan Zhongyi to secure the second Candidates’ spot. | Photo: Anna Shtourman