Bengaluru: Vaishali Rameshbabu stood on the podium, a gold medal around her neck – wired from little sleep and much joy – while in the audience sat a man who had taken three flights, travelling from south India to the eastern edge of Europe, just to witness this moment.
RB Ramesh – now synonymous with his most distinguished pupils, R Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali – made a last-minute dash from Chennai to Cyprus to keep his word. “Before the Candidates, I told both of them that I’d be in Cyprus if either of them wins. So, my travel plans were in their hands,” he told HT, breaking into a laugh. “Vaishali then instantly went ‘Sir, I’m sure you’ll be there’.”
As the Candidates tournament unfolded, it was clear that Praggnanandhaa was not quite in the reckoning for first place while Vaishali’s fortunes were unclear with the battle wide open in the women’s event. As she began to find wins, and grew in contention to win the whole thing, Ramesh frantically checked for last-minute tickets to Cyprus but with little luck. He made a last-ditch effort and his travel agent salvaged a way for him to fly out on Thursday, the morning after her win.
The 49-year-old coach travelled for over half a day, with layovers – from Chennai to Dubai to Cairo to Larnaca before reaching Cap St Georges just in time for the tournament’s closing ceremony to watch Vaishali hold up the Women’s Candidates winner’s trophy.
“Firstly, I’m super happy that my coach RB Ramesh sir is here,” Vaishali said, standing on the podium. “He came all the way from Chennai to be a part of this moment. It’s been a long journey and a dream moment for all of us.”
It was also meant to be a surprise for Vaishali. She was told that Ramesh didn’t manage to get a last-minute ticket. Praggnanandhaa was in on the plan. “Pranesh spoiled the fun by telling Vaishali so she was sort of expecting me,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh picked 19-year-old Grandmaster Pranesh, also his student, to accompany Vaishali for the tournament as her travelling team member with the primary job of keeping her in a positive mental space. “It takes a lot to make Pranesh sad,” Ramesh laughs. It turned out to be a smart move.
Ramesh, India’s 10th Grandmaster, quit competitive chess and left his government job to do what he believed he had a real knack for – training players. He set up his academy, Chess Gurukul in Chennai, in 2008, and Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali have been his students for well over a decade now.
It might be oddly restrictive to describe Ramesh as just a chess coach to Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali. He’s been part-parent, mental coach, trouble-shooter, financial adviser, helping both the siblings and their parents navigate the fame, attention and financial windfall that came with prodigious chess success.
“My goal as a coach has been to make them not reliant on a coach,” Ramesh told HT, “I would travel with them to tournaments when they were younger and talk to them about how to prepare, how to deal with a loss, how to form a healthy routine during a tournament – sleep, meals, preparation. As a player, your career cannot be dependent on a coach. You have to learn to be by yourself, help yourself, and navigate all the problems you face, by yourself. It’s also the reason why I don’t interfere much during tournaments I let them do their thing.”
It’s turned out beautifully.
His student has walked into history books as only the second Indian to qualify for the Women’s World Championship match.
On Thursday evening, once the prizes were given away and speeches were wrapped up, Vaishali stepped off the podium and walked over to the table where her family and team were seated, and handed her winner’s trophy to Ramesh.
For that moment alone, there was perhaps no corner of the world he wouldn’t have flown to.
