By Admin 
India’s R. Vaishali defended her title in the Grand Swiss Chess League, which no other player in the open or women’s section had done before. The win in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) also helped her qualify for the 2026 Candidates tournament.
But it was a tournament the 24-year-old from Chennai was not keen to play in the first place. After a poor Chennai Grandmasters in August where she managed just one point (two draws) and suffered seven straight losses, Vaishali was low on confidence. It was at the insistence of her mentor and coach R. B. Ramesh, that she decided to compete.
“Actually, I forgot that I was the defending champion going into the tournament! Some people reminded me as it was two years ago. A lot of things happened in between, and I didn’t even feel like I was going in as the defending champion. Especially because the Chennai event did not go well,” said Vaishali in an interview with The Hindu here on Wednesday.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations. But Ramesh sir and Karthikeyan Murali told me to play as it was a different field from the Chennai GMs,” said added.
Vaishali said she decided to relax and not do any hard preparation, and that probably helped. “I didn’t do any special preparation. I was just relaxing at home. Maybe the change in mindset helped,” she said.
Winning the first round against IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova was a huge relief for Vaishali. “It was like I forgot how it felt to win a game. Because in the World Cup (held in July) also, I used to draw in classical games while winning matches in tie-breaks only. And the Chennai Open was worse. The wins (she won her first three games) gave me a lot of confidence,” said Vaishali.
A defeat at the hands of Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan in the eighth round nearly dented her chances of retaining the title, but a crucial triumph over Ukraine’s Mariya Muzychuk in the 10th and penultimate round proved crucial.
“I am happy that I didn’t collapse after the defeat to Bibisara, which was very important. I was lucky to win against Mariya,” she said.
Vaishali said she hasn’t planned anything for the Candidates. “I want to train well and be in the best frame of mind,” she said.