It was a very long wait. For all the progress made in Indian chess, the story of growth was not as good in the women’s realm. R Vaishali changed that significantly by becoming the third Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title. Koneru Humpy was the first, in 2002, and Dronavalli Harika had become the second, in 2011.
The elder sister of teen sensation R Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali has also been coached by RB Ramesh. In a conversation with RevSportz from Norway, where he is on a coaching assignment, Ramesh said that Vaishali’s achievement will inspire more girls to play chess. He also spoke about what sets the 22-year-old apart.
Excerpts from the interview:
RevSportz: How significant for women’s chess in India is Vaishali’s success?
Ramesh: It’s huge. According to me, the state of women’s chess in India is not as healthy as it is in the men’s section. In big tournaments, we were dependent totally on the senior players. For the team to do well, the seniors had to perform all the time. The arrival of Vaishali changes that. Now we have a successor who can take the baton forward. This is what was needed. Vaishali becoming a Grandmaster will set new standards. This will inspire more girls to play chess. Women’s chess in India needed such a boost.
RevSportz: What sets Vaishali apart as a player?
Ramesh: I think she was more talented than Prag. I mean, if we look at them at the time when they started. For some reason, Vaishali’s progress got stalled a bit in the middle. She was still good, but not as good as she could have been. I am glad that she has overcome that phase. It has happened because of the hard work she has put in. Talent is not enough. You have to keep working harder. She has that tenacity and she also has this ability to stay away from distractions. It’s not easy if you are a youngster nowadays, because there are so many distractions. Vaishali and Prag both have this ability to cut those out and stay focussed.
RevSportz: What’s your first memory of Vaishali and what’s it in her that struck you?
Ramesh: The concentration level in children is not the same in everyone. When I saw Vaishali at a very young age at Chess Gurukul in Chennai, I saw that her ability to concentrate and focus is more than the average child of her age. I have seen that a lot of children struggle to do that. It’s perhaps natural, considering their age. Vaishali was different because she hardly got distracted. This came naturally to her. That’s possibly the first thing that I noticed about her.
RevSportz: From a personal point of view, how satisfying is this for you as a coach?
Ramesh: Any time you see your students do well, it’s satisfying for a coach and it’s no different with me. But I have to say that a lot of other factors went behind the success of Vaishali. Grandmaster Sandipan Chanda has worked with her and he deserves a lot of credit. Sponsors Ramco Group and the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy also played a significant role. It’s been a collective effort, not just me or any individual.
RevSportz: What are the implications of India finding a third Grandmaster from the women’s section after a long gap?
Ramesh: For starters, this should make women’s chess more popular. We had a Humpy and a Harika. There was a big interval after these two. Seeing Vaishali, more girls will start believing that they too can excel if they take it seriously. There will be more sponsors for women’s chess, more energy in organising tournaments. This will change perceptions and inspire more girls to play chess.