Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The photos and videos are making rounds on social media. Seeing Vaishali hold the Women’s Candidates title and imagining that soon she will sit in front of the five-time World Champion Ju Wenjun of China to challenge for the world title, our very own Vaishali Rameshbabu, is the stuff worthy of giving you goosebumps and, at the same time, filling your chest with palpable pride. But surely, reaching there has not come easy for the 24-year-old Indian Grandmaster.In one of our previous pieces, titled “Behind Vaishali’s Candidates glory is a 19-year-old boy named M Pranesh“, we touched upon the 2025 Chennai Grandmasters tournament, which was in its third edition and Vaishali was invited to compete in the Challengers section. We wrote then, “Winning the Challengers means qualifying for the next edition’s Masters. Vaishali had a nightmarish tournament, finishing rock bottom, but that’s a story for another day.”Today is that “another day”.
With the Chennai Grandmasters ending on August 16, 2025, and the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss scheduled to begin on September 2, there was very little time to recover. Vaishali, who eventually qualified for the Women’s Candidates by winning that Grand Swiss, initially had no intention of playing in it. Her winless run in Chennai, which included only two draws over ten rounds, had brought down her confidence to an unfathomable level.However, the Grand Swiss looked like the most practical path to the Women’s Candidates. Her coach RB Ramesh, her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa, and her parents all tried their best to convince her to participate. But Vaishali was stubborn.She was adamant that she would not travel to Uzbekistan for the event. Failing to establish a breakthrough in the deadlock, RB Ramesh contacted his protégé Karthikeyan Murali, India’s 38th Grandmaster and someone who has also been very close to Vaishali’s family, to see if an external voice could melt the ice.
Convincing over a two-hour call
Speaking exclusively to TimesofIndia.com, 27-year-old Karthikeyan recalled the delicate nature of the situation. “She was mentally down after Chennai because she did not win a single game. I could understand her feeling. In a tournament like that, it is very hard on your confidence,” he said.The reluctance to play in the Grand Swiss was so strong that even her closest circle felt powerless. “Ramesh sir tried convincing her, but apparently she was not willing to play. Pragg was also trying, as were her parents. But sometimes you need someone from an external source, not just someone close. You need a new channel to motivate you. Apparently, I was that person,” the Grandmaster added.
Karthikeyan Murali in FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 (Photo by Michal Walusza/FIDE)
What followed was a two-hour conversation over a phone call.“I had a call that lasted around two hours. I just wanted to motivate her and make her play the Grand Swiss somehow. I don’t know exactly what part of what I said inspired her, but I am just glad she decided to play,” Karthikeyan added with a smile. “I didn’t do anything great; I mostly told her what the others had already said, but perhaps the way it was delivered helped.”Perhaps the most shocking revelation behind Vaishali’s resurgence was her total detachment from the game in the fortnight leading up to the Women’s Grand Swiss.“One main thing she did was mentally free herself from the attachment to results,” Karthikeyan noted. “I also heard that she didn’t even prepare at all before the Grand Swiss. For 15 days, she didn’t even see chess.“She has all the strength, the hard work, and the talent, but she was facing psychological hurdles. I feel those 15 days were the key. Whatever she did in that time to stay away from the board actually helped her win the tournament.”
Vaishali with mother Nagalakshmi and younger brother Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (Photo by Michal Walusza/FIDE)
Vaishali arrived in Uzbekistan with a refreshed mind after winning the Grand Swiss and securing her spot in the Candidates.However, following a string of draws and a few lackluster performances in the earlier stages of the Candidates, her confidence returned mid tournament, particularly after a pivotal Round 7 win against Tan Zhongyi. “Winning that game gave her so much confidence in her position,” Karthikeyan observed.
A date with five-time World Champion
Now that the Candidates hurdle has been cleared, the five-time World Champion, Ju Wenjun from China, represents the final boss in Vaishali’s journey.While Karthikeyan is proud of how Vaishali has made it out of the Women’s Candidates, he points out specific areas where the Indian star must be cautious going forward.“I genuinely hope that she doesn’t feel the pressure,” Murali said regarding the upcoming World Championship match. “If she feels the pressure, she might not be able to bring out 100 percent of her game. She needs to maintain the same mental freedom she had during the Grand Swiss and the Candidates.”
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ALSO READ: Gukesh, Vaishali World Chess Championship matches to be held together? Here’s what we knowWhen asked about technical weaknesses that might have surfaced during her recent games, the Grandmaster highlighted time management as a primary concern. “I feel like she is using too much time,” he concluded, “That is my opinion. I felt she used more time in places where she did not necessarily need to.”
