Vaishali with the Women’s Grand Swiss Trophy on the left and the Women’s Candidates title on the right (Photo Michal Walusza/FIDE) NEW DELHI: Photos and videos are going viral on social media. Seeing Vaishali holding the Women’s Nominee title and imagining her soon to be sitting in front of five-time world champion Ju Wenjun of China to challenge our very own Vaishali Rameshbabu for the world title is something that gives you goosebumps and fills your chest with palpable pride. However, getting there was certainly not easy for the 24-year-old Indian grandmaster.In one of our previous installments titled “Behind Vaishali’s Contenders’ Fame Is a 19-Year-Old Boy Named M Pranesh”, we touched on Chennai Grandmasters 2025, which was in its third edition and Vaishali was invited to compete in the Challengers section. We wrote at the time: “Winning the Challengers means qualifying for the next Masters. Vaishali had a nightmare tournament, finishing bottom, but that’s a story for another day.”Today is the “next day”.
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Exclusive | Meet the only Indian to beat Magnus Carlsen in classic chess with black since 2011 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 as a women’s contender by winning the Grand Swiss, initially had no intention of playing in it. Her winless run in Chennai, which included only two draws in ten rounds, knocked her confidence to an unfathomable level.However, the Grand Swiss seemed like the most practical route to Kandidátka. Her coach RB Ramesh, her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa and her parents all tried to convince her to participate. But Vaishali was stubborn.She was adamant that she would not travel to Uzbekistan for the event. Failing to break the deadlock, RB Ramesh contacted his protégé Karthikeyan Murali, the 38th Grandmaster of India and someone who was also very close to Vaishali’s family, to see if an outside voice could break 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 didn’t win a single match. I understood her feelings. It’s very hard on your confidence in a tournament like this,” he said.The reluctance to play in the Big Swiss was so strong that even her closest circle felt helpless. “Sir Ramesh tried to convince her but she clearly wasn’t willing to play. Pragg tried too, as did her parents. But sometimes you need someone from an outside source, not just someone close to you. You need a new channel to motivate you. I was probably that person,” added the grandmaster.
Karthikeyan Murali at FIDE Grand Swiss 2025
A two-hour phone conversation followed.“I had a call that lasted for about two hours. I just wanted to motivate her and somehow make her play Grand Swiss. 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 big; I mostly told her what everyone else had already said, but maybe the way it was delivered helped.”Perhaps the most shocking revelation of Vaishali’s rebirth was her complete disengagement from the game in the fortnight leading up to the Women’s Grand Swiss.“One major thing she did was mentally free herself from being attached to results,” Karthikeyan noted. “I also heard that she didn’t prepare at all before the Grand Swiss, she didn’t even see chess for 15 days.“She has all the strength, hard work and talent, but she faced psychological obstacles. I feel like those 15 days were the key ones. Whatever she did during that time to stay off 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 fresh mind after winning the Grand Swiss and securing a place in the shortlists.However, after a series of draws and some lackluster performances in the earlier stages of the women’s qualifiers, her confidence returned midway through the tournament, especially after a crucial Round 7 win against Tan Zhongyi. “Winning that game gave her so much confidence in her position,” Karthikeyan noted.
A date with a five-time world champion
Now that the candidate hurdle has been cleared, five-time world champion Ju Wenjun of China represents the final boss on Vaishali’s journey.While Karthikeyan is proud of how Vaishali has made it among the women’s contenders, he points out specific areas where the Indian star needs to be careful.“I sincerely hope she doesn’t feel the pressure,” Murali said of the upcoming World Cup match. “If she feels the pressure, she might not be able to show 100 percent of her game. She needs to keep the same mental freedom she had during the Grand Swiss and Candidates.”
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READ ALSO: Gukesh, Vaishali World Chess Championship to be held together? Here’s what we knowWhen the grandmaster asked about technical flaws that may have occurred during her recent games, she highlighted time management as the primary issue. “I feel like she’s using too much time,” he concluded, “that’s my opinion. I felt like she was spending more time in places she didn’t necessarily need to.”
