Brother-sister Grandmasters Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali enjoying a standout year on the chess circuit

R. Praggnanandhaa and R. Vaishali, the world’s first brother-sister Grandmaster duo, have compiled some of their strongest results of the year on the international chess circuit, The Hindu reported on August 29, 2026. Both players are scheduled to be part of India’s challenge at the Chess Olympiad in Samarkand next month.

Vaishali claimed the most prominent result among the two when she won the Candidates tournament in Cyprus in April after starting out as the eight seed in a field of eight. She became the first Indian woman to win the Candidates and will now play China’s Ju Wenjun for the World championship. Koneru Humpy remains the only Indian to have contested the Women’s World championship. After her victory, Vaishali told this correspondent over the phone from Cyprus how helpful the presence of her younger brother was at the Candidates tournament.

For Praggnanandhaa, the Cyprus event proved disappointing: in the open event he finished seventh. He has since worked his way back into form, reversing the setback from that tournament. The article describes his recovery as a return to top-level results over the subsequent months.

In the past three months Praggnanandhaa won Norway Chess, where he stunned the World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen twice. He also lifted the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz title. Most recently he captured the Grand Chess Tour, winning the final by outwitting the World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana a couple of days ago at St. Louis.

Vaishali was also in St. Louis alongside Praggnanandhaa, attending the Cairns Cup, but the report says she did not have a great time there. The siblings are due to travel together for a larger event following their appearances in the United States.

The Chess Olympiad, to be held at Samarkand next month, will see both players represent India, and the report notes they could have key roles to play in India’s title defence. At the last Olympiad in Budapest in 2024, India was crowned champion in both the open and women’s sections.