Vaishali’s Candidate win: A shot in the arm for women’s chess in India, says her coach Ramesh

CHENNAI: While R Vaishali was closing in to become the Candidates champion, her father was growing tense with every turn of event on the board, alone at home and glued to the TV.

After the match, the proud father, Rameshbabu, called his daughter and said, “Nalla veladina, ma (You played well, dear),” before the woman of the hour was swept away for interviews.




Speaking to TOI on Thursday, Rameshbabu said: “In these 20 years, she has put in a lot of effort and struggled a lot, so it has finally come to fruition. I tell her: If you work hard, you will always get results. I’m feeling very happy and proud.”



The Drona behind the Queen

While Vaishali thanked her father for all the support after her moment of triumph, she didn’t forget her childhood coach, RB Ramesh, a Dronacharya Award winner, who worked tirelessly with her in the lead-up to the tournament. He had made a promise to her before the tournament that if she won, he would travel to Cyprus to congratulate her. Fulfilling that promise, Ramesh booked the next flight to Paphos from Chennai late on Wednesday night.

“I’m really happy for both Vaishali and Pragg. I’m trying to surprise Vaishali; I hope she doesn’t know that I’m coming,” Ramesh told TOI from the airport in the wee hours of Thursday.

Ramesh, who coaches at three chess academies, said boys still outnumber girls in his setup, but Vaishali’s triumph will help shift that balance.

“For women’s chess, especially having a world champion from India, it will be a huge boost for the game. It will give a lot of hope and confidence to young girls that they can also be the best in the world. I remember when I was young, our generation always felt we were not good enough compared to the Russians and other foreign players, because we didn’t have much exposure to the West and so on. But this generation, with such role models from a very young age, will feel they can be the best players in the world,” he said.

Pranesh, the friend by her side

GM M Pranesh joined Vaishali’s team just a month before the Candidates, and the idea was initially floated almost in passing as a joke. But the 19-year-old went on to play a key part ‘keeping her calm’ throughout the campaign.

“RB sir and his wife Aarthie suggested it. They felt I had the potential, and that I tend to stress a lot, so Pranesh would be perfect to keep me mentally stable. We played a lot of blitz and practice games. There were many tense moments during the tournament, and he kept me calm,” Vaishali told ChessBase India after the win.

For Pranesh, the role came naturally as he was already her friend. “I was trying to keep her mindset in a good space so that she could give her best in the game. After she finishes her game, I analyse it with her,” he told TOI from Cyprus.
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