Indian chess star R. Vaishali has once again etched her name in history, successfully defending her title at the prestigious Grand Swiss Chess League. Her phenomenal performance in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, marks a unique achievement, as no other player, male or female, had managed to retain the championship previously. More significantly, this victory has punched her ticket to the highly anticipated 2026 Candidates tournament, a crucial step towards the World Championship title.
Interestingly, this remarkable triumph almost didn’t happen. The 24-year-old from Chennai initially harbored strong reservations about participating, especially after a disappointing showing at the Chennai Grandmasters in August. There, she secured a mere two draws, enduring seven consecutive losses that left her confidence shaken. It was only through the persistent encouragement of her mentor and coach, R. B. Ramesh, that Vaishali eventually agreed to compete.
“Honestly, I had completely forgotten I was the defending champion!” Vaishali confessed during an interview with The Hindu on Wednesday. “It had been two years, and so much had happened. Coming off the tough Chennai event, I certainly didn’t feel like a reigning champion.”
“I went in with very few expectations,” she explained. “But Ramesh sir and Karthikeyan Murali convinced me to play, emphasizing that the field would be different from the Chennai Grandmasters.”
Perhaps a key factor in her success was her relaxed approach. Vaishali revealed she opted against intense preparation. “I didn’t do any special preparation,” she stated. “I was just relaxing at home. Maybe that change in mindset made all the difference.”
Her initial victory against IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova in the first round brought immense relief. “It felt like I had forgotten what it was like to win a game,” she recounted, referencing her World Cup performance in July where classical games often ended in draws, with wins only coming in tie-breaks. The Chennai Open, she noted, had been even more challenging. Securing three consecutive wins at the start of the Grand Swiss was a much-needed boost to her confidence.
Despite a setback in the eighth round against Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva, which threatened to derail her title defense, Vaishali showed incredible resilience. Her pivotal win over Ukraine’s Mariya Muzychuk in the tenth and penultimate round proved to be the turning point, keeping her championship aspirations alive.
“I’m truly happy that I didn’t collapse after the loss to Bibisara, that was critical,” she remarked. “And I was fortunate to secure the win against Mariya.”
Looking ahead to the Candidates tournament, Vaishali admits she hasn’t finalized her plans yet. Her primary focus, she emphasized, is simply “to train well and be in the best frame of mind.”