Chess: “Vaishali did not see chess for 15 days”: The prodigy story behind the glory of the candidates | Chess News –

New Delhi: Pictures and videos are going viral on social media. Seeing Vaishali holding the title of favorites and imagining that she will soon be sitting opposite five-time world champion Gu Wenjun of China to compete for the world title, our very own Vaishali Rameshbabu, are the things that are worthy of giving you goosebumps and, at the same time, filling your chest with palpable pride.

But getting there certainly wasn’t easy for the 24-year-old Indian teacher.In one of our previous articles, titled ‘Behind the glory of Vaishali’s nominees there is a 19-year-old named M Branch’, we touched on the 2025 Chennai Grand Masters, which was in its third edition and Vaishali had been invited to compete in the challenger division. We then wrote, “Winning the Challengers means qualifying for the Masters for the next edition. Vaishali had a nightmare tournament, and ended up in the gutter, but that’s a story for another day.”Today is that “another day”.

With the Chennai Grand Masters ending on August 16, 2025, and the FIDE Women’s Grand Masters scheduled to begin on September 2, there has been little time to recover. Vaishali, who eventually qualified for the finals by winning the Swiss Grand Prix, had no intention of playing in it initially. Her winless run in Chennai, which included just two draws in ten rounds, has lowered her confidence to an unfathomable level.

However, the Grand Swiss route seemed like the most practical route for female candidates. Her coach R P Ramesh, her younger brother R Pragnanananda and her parents did their best to convince her to participate. But Vaishali was stubborn.She insisted that she would not travel to Uzbekistan to attend the event. After failing to achieve a breakthrough in the impasse, RB Ramesh contacted his student Karthikeyan Murali, the 38th Grand Master of India and someone who was also very close to the Vaishali family, to see if an outside voice could thaw the ice.

Convince during a two-hour call

Speaking exclusively to TimesofIndia.com, 27-year-old Karthikeyan pointed out the delicate nature of the situation. “She was mentally damaged after Chennai because she did not win a match. I understand how she feels. In a tournament like this, it is very difficult for your self-confidence,” he said.The reluctance to play in the Grand Swiss was so strong that even her closest circle felt powerless. “Mr Ramesh tried to convince her, but it seemed she was not ready to play.

Prague was trying too, and so were her parents. But sometimes you need someone from an outside source, not just a confidant. You need a new channel to motivate you. Apparently I was that person,” the Grandmaster added.

What followed was a two-hour conversation via phone call.“I got a call that lasted about two hours. I just wanted to motivate her and get her to play Grand Swiss in some way. I don’t know exactly what part of what I said inspired her, but I’m glad she decided to play,” Karthikeyan added with a smile.

“I didn’t do anything great; I mostly told her what others had already said, but maybe it was the way it was communicated that helped me.”Perhaps the most shocking revelation behind Vaishali’s comeback was her complete break from the game in the two weeks leading up to the Women’s Grand Slam.“One of the main things she did was free herself mentally from attachment to the results,” Karthikeyan noted. “I also heard that she didn’t prepare at all before the Swiss Grand Championship.

For 15 days, she didn’t even watch a game of chess.“She has all the strength, hard work and talent, but she had psychological hurdles. I feel like those 15 days were the key. Everything she did in that time to stay off the board actually helped her win the championship.”

Vaishali arrived in Uzbekistan with a fresh mind after winning the Swiss Grand Prix and securing her place in the shortlist.However, after a series of draws and some lackluster performances in the early stages for the favorites, her confidence returned midway through the tournament, especially after her pivotal seventh-round win over Tan Zhongye.

“Winning that match gave her a lot of confidence in her position,” Karthikeyan noted.

A date with the five-time world champion

Now that the hurdle of favorites has been cleared, five-time world champion Gu Wenjun of China represents the final leader in Vaishali’s journey.While Karthikeyan is proud of how Vaishali has managed to emerge from the favourites, he points out specific areas where the Indian star needs to be careful moving forward.“I sincerely hope she doesn’t feel pressure,” Murali said about the upcoming world championship match.

“If she feels pressure, she may not be able to bring her game 100 percent. She needs to maintain the same mental freedom that she had during the Grand Prix and the Candidates.”Read also: Will Gokesh and Vaishali World Chess Championship matches be held together? Here’s what we knowWhen asked about technical weaknesses that may have come up during her recent matches, Grandmaster highlighted time management as a key concern. “I feel like she used too much time, that’s my opinion. I felt like she used more time in places she didn’t necessarily need it,” he concluded.