Chennai Grandmasters debacle broke me; wanted to pull out of Grand Swiss: Vaishali

CHENNAI: Grandmaster R Vaishali was so crestfallen following seven straight losses in the Chennai Grandmasters that she had made up her mind to pull out of the Grand Swiss tournament, but family support steered her to the event where she won the title to qualify for the Candidates next year.

Vaishali, who became the third Indian to make it to the Candidates next year after Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy, also said that her family, especially younger brother R Praggnanandhaa, has been a pillar of strength, helping her to overcome difficult times.

"The tournament in Chennai (this year), I lost seven games in a row and I was like, it was one of the most difficult tournaments in my life. I've had bad tournaments but this one was too much for me to take," Vaishali told FIDE (International Chess Federation) in an interview.

"I was completely broken and I told my parents I was not going to play Grand Swiss (in Samarkand). I was about to quit playing the Grand Swiss but thanks to the people around me who convinced me to play, the change of mindset happened," she said.

The 24-year-old said she was trying her very best all year long but things were not going her way until the Grand Swiss title happened.

"This year, I've been working very hard but somehow things weren't going my way. I had some very tough tournaments and rating-wise also I lost some points, so this tournament was very important going forward."

Vaishali added that qualifying for last year's Candidates in Toronto made her understand the meaning of hard work and since then she tries to put in extra effort in her game to excel.

"Thanks to last year's Candidates, I understood what actually working hard means. Before that, I had a different meaning, different definition for myself. But, I understood in the last year's preparations that how much it takes to be there. I gave everything for the Candidates and since then I've been working hard, putting a lot of hours into the game."

Though the hard work was not translating into results, she knew that one good tournament could change everything.

"Yeah, the results were not going my way but everything came together in just one tournament (at Grand Swiss), which is very important and I'm happy about it. Before the tournament (in Samarkand), I took a fresh approach to life and it helped."

With younger brother Praggnanandhaa virtually assured of a Candidates berth, it would be a rare occasion of a brother and sister qualifying for the prestigious event for the second time, and Vaishali said it would be "great" for the duo.

"Last year, it was a dream, completely unexpected. Praggnanandhaa winning silver in the World Cup and me winnings the Grand Swiss like two months. It will be great to be playing again on a bigger stage together.

"We have very good memories from the Toronto Candidates. I'm also very grateful to him. He has helped me so much in my preparations. Even otherwise, if I have some issues outside chess as well, he's someone I'll go to and he's always there to help me.

"The bond has grown playing tough tournaments. The last few years, we've had some tough moments, good moments together and it's definitely shaping us as a person and and helping us grow chess-wise and otherwise."

On whether, she has a life outside chess, Vaishali said she's been playing the game for so long that her, and her family's life, just revolves around the game.

"Sometimes I wonder I stared playing chess when I was 6-7 years old and the sport has been most of my life. In our family, everything revolves around the game... there's not a single day when the conversation goes without chess.

"Planning about future tournaments, scheduling, camps etc. It's hard to say what I enjoy (beyond chess). Sometimes it's some podcast, books, but mostly it is chess. Also, I am curious about other things."