Question

Which Indian brother-sister duo made international headlines in late 2023 and early 2024 by becoming the first-ever siblings in history to both hold the title of Grandmaster (GM)? ____.

• A. Nihal Sarin and Rakshitta Ravi
• B. R. Praggnanandhaa and R. Vaishali
• C. Arjun Erigaisi and Deshmukh Divya
• D. Gukesh D. and Velpula Sarayu

Hint:

Vaishali is only the third Indian woman in history to achieve the absolute Grandmaster title, following in the footsteps of legendary players Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Grandmaster (GM) title is the highest ranking award a chess player can achieve, designated by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) upon meeting strict Elo rating and performance norm criteria.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The history-making sibling pair is Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Rameshbabu Vaishali from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. While Praggnanandhaa achieved his Grandmaster title back in 2018 (becoming one of the youngest GMs in history), his elder sister R. Vaishali secured her final GM norm at the IV El Llobregat Open in Spain in December 2023, surpassing the 2500 FIDE rating threshold. With this achievement, they became the first-ever brother-sister duo in chess history to hold the elite Grandmaster title and both qualified for the prestigious FIDE Candidates Tournament.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The first sibling duo to become Grandmasters is R. Praggnanandhaa and R. Vaishali.