It turned into a memorable day for Indian chess as Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and his sister R. Vaishali scripted twin title-winning moments within hours of each other. After Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to lift the Norway Chess crown, Vaishali clinched the opening event of the WR Women’s Chess Tour in Tokyo, Japan.
The 24-year-old Grandmaster produced a series of commanding performances in the eight-player rapid tournament, reinforcing India’s growing dominance on the global chess stage. The victory also adds another major achievement to the career of the reigning Women’s World Championship challenger.
Also Read: Praggnanandhaa scripts history, outplays Vincent Keymer to seal maiden Norway Chess crown for India
Vaishali dominates the rapid event
Competing in the rapid format with a 15-minute time control and a 10-second increment, Vaishali outplayed a strong international field featuring former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, Antoaneta Stefanova, Anna Sargsyan, Irine Sukandar, Alua Nurman, and Azumi Sakai.
She defeated IM Alua Nurman of Kazakhstan 1.5-0.5 in the final after winning the opening game and drawing the second to seal the title.
Vaishali’s road to the championship was equally impressive. She beat former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk 1.5-0.5 in the semifinals after overcoming IM Irine Sukandar by the same margin in the quarterfinals, winning one game and drawing the other in both matches.
Having secured the rapid crown, Vaishali will now aim to complete a double when the blitz competition begins on Sunday.
A landmark day for the Praggnanandhaa family
Earlier in the day, Praggnanandhaa created history by becoming the first Indian to win the Norway Chess title, defeating Germany’s Vincent Keymer in the 10th and final round of the classical tournament.
Playing with the white pieces, the 20-year-old capitalised on Keymer’s middle-game inaccuracies before converting his advantage into victory on the 45th move. The win took him to 18 points, enough to finish one point ahead of overnight leader Wesley So of the United States and claim the $100,000 top prize.
The remarkable double triumph by the Chennai siblings marked one of the biggest days for Indian chess, with both brother and sister lifting prestigious international titles within hours of each other.