Consistency and Candidates qualification on Vaishali's wish-list for 2025

New Delhi: Unbothered by the drama over a handshake, focussed on being more consistent and determined to secure a spot in the Candidates -- R Vaishali has her priorities sorted for 2025 and the Indian Grandmaster says she would not let anything distract her from those goals.

The past year has already proven to be a remarkable chapter in the 23-year-old's career, with a series of career-defining milestones. These include becoming only the third woman from India to earn the Grandmaster title, playing a vital role in the country's gold medal-winning performance at the Chess Olympiad, and clinching a bronze medal at the World Blitz Championship.

"My main goal is to show consistent performance and play some good games," the 23-year-old told PTI.

A slight blip came recently when she finished ninth in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament's challengers' section. More than the performance, she hit the headlines for a declined handshake with Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev.

Following a wave of criticism, Yakubboev apologised to her with chocolate and flowers for refusing to shake hands due to his religious beliefs before a match between the two.

"I didn't know it was a big thing back in India. I was focused on the games and didn't know what was going on in the social media," she said of the episode.

"Later I got to know, and okay, we all know what happened. It didn't affect me in any way," she added.

What did affect her was her inability to latch on to chances at the tournament.

"Tata Steel is a strong tournament, and I think my performance was decent," she said.

"Surely I could have scored a few points more, like I had some good positions, I failed to convert them, which I'll work on and try to improve. Going forward, I want to focus on showing more consistent performance."

Next big goal is Candidates

The Women's Candidates Tournament determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship. The next edition is to be held in 2026 with the qualification process set for this year in which rankings will be of significance.

"Of course, by the end of the year, I aim to qualify for the Candidates Tournament. I had the opportunity to play in the Candidates last year, and I hope to qualify for it again," she said.

Reflecting on her bronze at the Blitz World Championship last year, Vaishali said the result was important for her confidence, following some disappointing results.

"It was an important result for my confidence especially, because I had a few bad tournaments in a row and it was nice to end finally with a good result last year," she said in a rather a modest assessment of her performance.

Vaishali endured her fair share of lows that cost her valuable rating points but she views these challenges as valuable learning experiences.

"I would say it was a mixed year. I achieved some good results, but I also lost some rating points. It was a very interesting experience," she reflected.

"I had the chance to compete in strong round-robin tournaments and participate in prestigious events like the Candidates back-to-back challenges. Overall, last year was a great learning experience for me." For now, Vaishali is excited to return to the Norway Chess Women tournament scheduled to be held from May 26 to June 6.

"Last year was a great experience. They're bringing in this women's tournament, new format along with the Norway main event. And personally, I really enjoyed playing in Norway because like I've also got the chance to see the top players playing alongside," she said.

"The format is also very different. They have the Armageddon format if you make a draw in the classical game, we go on to the Armageddon game, which I've never played until the last Norway event." Vaishali also feels that her younger R Praggnanandhaa's presence on tour has also been beneficial and she often seeks his counsel.

"He's a strong player. So for me, it's a great benefit to have him. He's also very passionate about the game. So, whenever I have some questions, I always go to him. And he's very happy to discuss about the game," she said of the recently-crowned Tata Steel Masters champion.

"He's a great support for me. Even in preparing some openings, I'll discuss with him."