Bengaluru: In August last year, Vaishali Rameshbabu was “completely broken”. She had lost seven games in a row and finished at the bottom of the field, with zero wins and just one point from nine rounds in the Chennai Grand Masters. “I’ve had bad tournaments in the past, but this one was too much for me to take,” she told Fide.
The Grand Swiss tournament was weeks away and the 24-year-old Indian was convinced that pulling out was her best option. Her family and closest friends coaxed her against it. She went on to win the Grand Swiss and qualify for the Women’s Candidates. With four rounds remaining, she is the sole leader in the Women’s Candidates by half a point. Should she win, she will play Ju Wenjun in the Women’s World Championship.
It’s been quite a turnaround.
“Vaishali has had quite dramatic swings,” five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand weighed in, during a chat with HT. “But she’s able to handle them better constantly. It’s been remarkable to see her develop into a complete player. Someone who’s gotten better in all aspects of the game, including the psychological.”
Vaishali has been part of Anand-run WACA since it was set up in late 2020.
Vaishali has won three of her last five games and is leading the standings by half a point. Her play has been both brave – never shying away from attacks and sacrifices, and resourceful. Against fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh in Round 9, Vaishali’s rook sacrifices played a starring role in her victory.
“I think she’s just matured into a much stronger player now,” Anand points out. “Her play was always quite tactical. She’s quite flexible with the idea of changing material, of playing with that balance or sacrificing material, sacrificing pawns, looking for the initiative. There’s also her creativity which is backed up by calculation.”
Vaishali has spoken of the last Candidates making her “tougher”. She went on a four-game losing streak and then won five in a row. But the wins in the latter half of the tournament came a bit late. This time she has gotten going just at the right time. “I think they (the experience) has made me a better player and better person,” Vaishali told Fide in an earlier interview.
“Her special skill is her resilience,” Anand offered. “No matter how bad the position is, she’s still looking for ways to turn it around. It has proved very effective many times, including in the previous Candidates in her run of wins, and also here.”
Managing her emotions and her clock has been her primary challenge. She can be emotional as a player, and it’s an area she has been working on over the past year – to doubt herself less and build her self-belief. In a long and brutal tournament like the Candidates, it’s also about holding on to the belief long enough.
“For Vaishali, a lot of how she fares in a tournament is down to how she feels about herself,” her long-time coach and mentor RB Ramesh said, “Which is why this time, more than the preparation part, the goal was to keep her calm and happy. If she’s in a good mind space, and confident of her play, she can do great things.”
Winning the Women’s Candidates could be one of them.
While Javokhir Sindarov is melting records and doing astonishing things in the Open section of the Candidates, the women’s contest has been pretty open and fairly interesting – with spectacular collapses, comebacks and no player dominating the field. Former women’s world champion and 2024 Women’s Candidates winner Tan Zhongyi sits at the bottom of the standings after 10 rounds.
Right now, Vaishali is certainly the favourite. Snapping at her heels are Zhu Jiner and Anna Muzychuk, who are half a point behind.
“I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Vaishali giggled, talking about her streaks of wins and losses. “But sometimes when I win, I’m unstoppable.”
