‘Chess very popular after cricket’: Father of Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali weighs in after double-Olympiad win

Ramesh Babu would have been the happiest father in the world when R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali won gold in the most prestigious biennial team chess event in the world.

While GM Praggnanandhaa was an integral part of the men’s team, his elder sister Vaishali also played a key role in the women’s title triumph.

“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.

“All the team players have done very well and won gold medals.” He added that the success of Indian chess players had given a huge boost to the game in the country.

“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 said.

He added that both Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali were aiming for more success in their careers. “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.”