In 2023, Vaishali Rameshbabu emerged from the shadows of her brother R Praggnanandhaa and became the third Indian woman GM, after Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli
2023 was a year of many firsts for 22-year-old Vaishali Rameshbabu. It was the year she had a breakthrough; stepping out from her acclaimed teenage brother R Praggnanandhaa’s shadows, she scored big, emerging triumphant at the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Women’s Grand Swiss in Douglas, the capital of Isle of Man.
This triumph earned her a ticket to the Women’s Candidates Tournament scheduled to be held in Toronto, Canada, from April 2 to 25. The Chennai-based chess prodigy was also part of the Indian women’s team which won the silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Vaishali also fulfilled her lifelong dream to become a Grand Master, becoming the third Indian woman GM after Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli; Humpy had become the country’s first female GM in 2002, and Dronavalli joined her in 2011.
Raising her chess to another level, she outwitted three women’s World Champions: Mariya Muzychuk, Antoaneta Stefanova and Tan Zhongyi en route to her comprehensive victory in Women’s Grand Swiss. It was in 2019 that Vaishali achieved her first GM norm and it took her three years to win the second norm in 2022. In October 2023, she obtained her third and final norm in the Qatar Open.
GM title: A dream, a milestone
Agreeing that winning Women’s Grand Swiss was the biggest victory of her career, Vaishali dissects her success in a candid way: “I was enjoying playing chess like I used to when I was a kid. At some point, I started chasing results even though I wasn’t improving.”
Incidentally, Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa are the only sibling duo in the history of chess to make the cut for Candidates in the women’s and Open section.
GM R B Ramesh, who has been Vaishali’s trainer for a long time, has played a big role in her growth. With Women’s Candidates only four weeks away, Vaishali will be looking to go all the way even though it’s going to be a tough challenge considering the depth of the field. “I have a good chance. I have had good results against the players who have qualified for the Candidates in different formats. However, this is a completely different one. It’s a double round-robin tournament. It also comes down to energy towards the end of the tournament. I am looking forward to it,” says Vaishali when asked about her expectations from the Candidates.
Ramesh, who has coached India to two bronze-medal finishes in the Open section at the 2014 and 2022 Chess Olympiad, is realistic about Vaishali’s chances in the big tournament. “It is hard to say. It will largely depend on everyone’s form, as not much separates the players in terms of strength. It is the psychological factors that will play a big part. Vaishali has been working hard on her chess for the last few months,” he says.
After completing her final GM norm at the Qatar Masters, Vaishali became the 84th Indian GM, following her victory over Tamer Tarik Selbes at the Llobregat Open in Spain. This win helped Vaishali cross the live rating of 2500, which is a prerequisite for the GM title. It was also a boost for women’s chess in the country as Harika was the last Indian woman to accomplish that feat way back. “To complete the GM title had always been my goal from the time I started playing chess. I was happy to do that,” says Vaishali, after achieving another milestone.
Key to success: Confidence, mentorship and self-belief
Vaishali was introduced to chess by her parents as a means to divert her from watching TV, a decision that proved fruitful in hindsight. Winning the World U-12 title in 2012 and the World U-14 title in 2015 highlighted Vaishali’s innate talent for chess. At the age of 12, she experienced the satisfaction of outplaying world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a simultaneous exhibition match (2013) in her hometown. What was the reason for her stunning show last year? “At some point in my career, I forgot why I started playing chess. I made some changes in my mind last year, which helped me play freely without any pressure,” she asserts.
To what extent has coach Ramesh contributed to her sustained growth as a player? Vaishali attributes her success entirely to her coach. “Ramesh sir has been instrumental in shaping both mine and Pragg’s careers. We’ve both trained under him for the last 10 years. I initially had no knowledge of utilizing the Chessbase database or strategizing against opponents. I acquired all these skills from him, and they continue to help me. He has been our guiding force, both on and off the board,” she says.
Ramesh, on the other hand, points to an improved confidence level for her success in 2023. “I think Vaishali’s self-belief helped her achieve the GM title, Women’s Grand Swiss crown and Asian Games silver. Earlier, she had self-doubt, which curtails one’s natural instincts,” he says. What has also helped both Vaishali, her brother and other whizzes is WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), founded by five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand, in partnership with WestBridge Capital, in 2020.
The aim of the academy was to take the most talented Indian youngsters to the next level. “WACA has been supporting a lot. Thanks to Anand sir for the mentorship. I’m also trained by some top trainers in the world. In the last few years, I have been working quite a lot with Sandipan Chanda, one of the trainers of the academy,” says Vaishali when asked about the impact of WACA on her game. Ramesh further elaborates: “WACA training has immensely impacted her chess performance. Getting the opportunity to work with experienced trainers is an added advantage.”
For Vaishali, winning the Arjuna Award for 2023 was the icing on the cake. “To receive such a prestigious award was one of the most memorable moments in my life. It was also very special because Ramesh sir received Dronacharya on the same day,” says the Grandmaster.
