Vaishali on Nodirbek’s handshake refusal: ‘Didn’t comprehend it was massive factor in India’ | Chess Information

Vaishali vs Nodirbek at Tata Metal Chess Challengers (Screengrab)

NEW DELHI: Indian chess Grandmaster R Vaishali has outlined her major ambitions for the 12 months, specializing in reaching constant performances and aiming for a spot within the prestigious Candidates Match.
The 23-year-old had a notable 12 months in 2024, marked by important achievements together with incomes the Grandmaster title, contributing to India’s gold medal on the Chess Olympiad within the girls’s class, and securing a bronze medal on the World Blitz Championship.
Vaishali’s aims are clear: to keep up a gradual efficiency degree and to qualify for the Candidates Match, an occasion that determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship.
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Reflecting on her latest accomplishments, she emphasised the significance of those targets for her profession trajectory.
“My major purpose is to point out constant efficiency and play some good video games,” Vaishali advised PTI. “After all, by the tip of the 12 months, I intention to qualify for the Candidates Match. I had the chance to play within the Candidates final 12 months, and I hope to qualify for it once more.”
Lately, Vaishali participated within the Tata Metal Chess Match‘s Challenger part, ending ninth.
She acknowledges that there have been missed alternatives that might have improved her standing, indicating a deal with changing advantageous positions in future competitions.
“Tata Metal is a powerful event, and I believe my efficiency was first rate,” she mentioned.
“Absolutely I may have scored a couple of factors extra, like I had some good positions, I didn’t convert them, which I am going to work on and attempt to enhance. Going ahead, I wish to deal with exhibiting extra constant efficiency.”
An incident in the course of the Tata Metal Chess Match involving Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev gained consideration, however Vaishali remained targeted on her gameplay, undistracted by the social media buzz surrounding the occasion.

“I did not comprehend it was a giant factor again in India. I used to be targeted on the video games and did not know what was occurring within the social media,” she added. “Later I obtained to know, and okay, everyone knows what occurred. It did not have an effect on me in any method.”
Wanting forward, Vaishali expresses enthusiasm for collaborating within the upcoming Norway Chess Girls event, a singular occasion that features an Armageddon format for drawn classical video games.
“Final 12 months was an important expertise. They’re bringing on this girls’s event, new format together with the Norway major occasion. And personally, I actually loved enjoying in Norway as a result of like I’ve additionally obtained the possibility to see the highest gamers enjoying alongside,” she concluded.
“The format can be very completely different. They’ve the Armageddon format when you make a draw within the classical recreation, we go on to the Armageddon recreation, which I’ve by no means performed till the final Norway occasion. So I am actually trying ahead to that.”
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