‘WGM title should be abolished’

CHENNAI: For R Vaishali, 2024 was a year of milestones. From becoming the third Indian woman to achieve the Grandmaster title to playing a pivotal role in India’s Chess Olympiad gold-winning historic team, Vaishali’s journey was capped off with a blitz bronze medal at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York.
In an exclusive interview with TOI, the 23-year-old from Chennai reflects on her whirlwind year and the road ahead.
Excerpts:
What a way to end the 2024 year with a blitz bronze medal. How do you feel about it?
The rapid event didn’t go well; to be honest, it went very badly, and I wasn’t feeling well during that time. Somehow, I got some time to recover before the blitz event. For the blitz, I felt motivated and had this mindset that even if it didn’t go well, I would be fine with it. So much has happened this year – 2024 has been quite eventful – and I thought, “Let’s end this year as fast as possible.” Somehow, this result came, and I’m happy about it.
You mentioned not feeling well – what happened?
I caught a cold, and it was difficult to acclimatise to the weather. It was my first time in the USA, and the cold was intense. Also, it took me a few days to get over the jet lag.
Overcoming disappointment after the rapid event...
I was really looking forward to this event, and when I performed badly in the rapid, I was disappointed. However, I told myself, “This is just rapid and blitz.” I tried to take it lightly. Towards the end of the year, my mindset became more about ending the year rather than focusing too much on the tournament. Ironically, not caring too much about the results helped me perform better.
Did it help having your brother R Praggnanandhaa with you?
Yeah, of course. It always helps to have someone with you. This time, my mother didn’t come with us, so it was just Prag and me. He also faced a disappointing finish in the rapid; he was close to winning a medal but lost in the penultimate round. Despite that, having him around was a support system for both of us.
How was your preparation for this tournament?
I took a much-needed break after my last tournament in Kolkata in November. Before that, I’d been playing continuously through September, October, and November. The break allowed me to rest and recharge. I also prepared by playing some blitz games and following my usual training routine. I’ve been having regular sessions with Sandipan sir at WACA (WestBridge Anand Chess Academy) and with Ramesh Sir as well.
Koneru Humpy’s rapid title was a remarkable achievement...
It’s a fantastic result and a huge motivating factor for me. Despite having so many responsibilities, she’s still winning medals. Watching her play live here was truly inspiring.
Judit Polgar recently said women’s titles should be abolished. What’s you take?
I agree with her. Early in my career, I felt that titles like WIM and WGM can create a false sense of achievement. In the open category, these titles don’t hold much value and can demotivate players from aiming for the GM title. These titles were initially introduced by FIDE to encourage women’s participation, but we now have many girls actively playing chess. Removing these titles could inspire more women to compete directly for GM titles.