Ready to script own destiny

After pocketing the Grand Swiss title, Chennai girl Vaishali is mere points away from becoming the third Indian woman to get the title of GM. Gomesh S tracks her journey...

- Gomesh S

SHORTLY after winning the FIDE Grand Swiss event, R Vaishali had just arrived in Chennai. During an event at MOP College, her Vaishnav alma mater, where she being facilitated by the legendary Viswanathan Anand, she was getting all the attention from her college mates and the media.

Despite not having a slept and looking visibly tired, Vaishali was obliging all requests for autographs, selfies and interviews. It was justified.

She had secured a place in the Candidates next year, becoming the third Indian to do so this year alone. She was also on the cusp of becoming a GM.

Getting media attention is nothing new to Vaishali. Being the elder sister of R Praggnanandhaa one of the chess prodigies of his generation she had always been flooded with queries about his laurels throughout her life. But now, the attention and questions were all about her and her achievements.

Unsurprisingly, she was thrilled about being in the limelight. Ask her if it added more pressure, especially with the GM title and Candidates looming over her, she had an immediate reply. "I don't feel the pressure. I am just enjoying the attention actually, maybe it will come in future," she said with a smile.

From the outset, it is the quiet unassuming personality that strikes you. But as is often the case, there is more to Vishali than just that. She beat Magnus Carlsen at the age of 12, Woman International Master at 15, Woman Grandmaster at 17, International Master at 20, and has won Chess Olympiad and Asian Games medals in the last couple of years. Like Praggnanandhaa, she too has been working with RB Ramesh from a very young age, who says that there are many similarities between the siblings. "You can say initially, they both had a similar style and it evolved slightly in different directions. Both are very hard working.