Why India have just two female GMs in list of 82

Twenty-two-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu is somewhat annoyed at how long it's taking her to become a Grandmaster (GM), the highest title offered to players by world chess body, Fide. 

- Susan Ninan

It is a dream she has long nurtured, and a title she has watched her younger brother, Praggnanandhaa, assume at just 12 years and 7 months of age. "Somehow for me, it's been a hurdle," she says.

India has not had a new female GM since 2011, and only two out of the country's existing 82 Grandmasters are women.

Vaishali (Elo 2431) earned her first GM-norm in 2019 and the second in May 2022. She still needs to complete a third norm and cross 2500 Elo rating. "Now that I see my brother's journey closely, I know that becoming a GM is just the first step. It's been hard for me, balancing chess with academics and I haven't always made the most of the chances that have come my way."

Much like her, 20-year-old Vantika Agrawal (Elo 2428) believes her GM goal has suffered due to academic demands. Now that she's finally done with college and studying at airports between tournaments, she wants to go the whole hog. 

India's two female GMs Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli are ranked No. 5 and No. 12 respectively in the world among women. Humpy became the country's first female GM in 2002, with Harika joining her in 2011. The total number of India's GMs was 25 then. Today, that number has more than tripled. The next highest-ranked Indian is Vaishali (No 35), followed by Vantika (No 37). They're both Women Grandmasters (WGM). One spot below Vantika is up-and-coming 16-year-old Savitha Shri B (Elo 2426), who too turned WGM this year.

The Elo rating system is essentially a metric of playing strength and every title necessitates the completion of norms-a certain level of performance in tournaments that count towards title requirement. After GM, the second-highest title is International Master (IM), which requires players to cross 2400 Elo and three IM norms. It is followed by the WGM title, which has three WGM norms and breaching 2300 Elo among its criteria.