Ramesh Babu, the father of chess sensations R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali, couldn’t have been happier. His children, both integral members of their respective teams, brought home gold medals from the Chess Olympiad, the most prestigious biennial team chess event in the world.
While Praggnanandhaa was a key player in the men’s team, his elder sister Vaishali played a crucial role in the women’s team victory. “We are very proud of Praggnanandhaa. My daughter Vaishali’s team also won the gold medal, so we’re happy about that as well,” said Ramesh Babu, beaming with pride. He went on to commend the entire team’s performance: “All the team players have done very well and won gold medals.”
Ramesh Babu also shared his observation about the burgeoning popularity of chess in India. “Nowadays, chess has become very popular after cricket. More and more people are getting interested. Apart from academics, playing chess is becoming a part of their career. Youngsters are taking it up as a career,” he stated, highlighting the growing interest in chess as a professional path.
Looking towards the future, Ramesh Babu revealed the ambitions of his children: “Every chess player wants to become a world champion, and they (Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa) have to improve their rating. So, that is their aim right now.” Both Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali are poised to continue their climb to the top of the chess world, aiming for further success and aiming to become world champions.
