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CHENNAI: R Vaishali had a weekend to remember as she became India's latest Woman Grandmaster (WGM). The 17-year-old elder sister of R Praggnanandhaa -- who became the second youngest GM in the world in June this year -- got her third and final WGM norm on Sunday at the 8th Riga Technical University (RTU) Open chess tournament held in Riga, Latvia.

Incidentally, Vaishali had got her second WGM norm at the Gredine Open -- the same tournament that saw her younger sibling create history.

Vaishali’s coach RB Ramesh wasn’t surprised by Vaishali’s rise in the sport. “Just like Praggu (Praggnanandhaa), Vaishali too has been extremely hardworking and talented. She went through a rough patch in the last few years but overcame that by working extra hard on her game. I feel Vaishali’s next target should be to become a men’s GM,” Ramesh told TOI on Sunday evening.

Before featuring at the event in Latvia, Vaishali was part of the Indian women’s team that finished with a gold medal in the blitz category of the Asian Nations Cup held in Hamadan, Iran, earlier this month.

“I believe Vaishali’s confidence will definitely go up after getting this title under her belt. If she continues to work this hard, then I am certain no goal will be too far for her,” added Ramesh.

Last year, Vaishali had made headlines when she won the Asian blitz championships at Chengdu, China. She secured 8 points from 9 rounds in the competition to reign supreme.

