4/21/2026 – In the world of Indian chess, few stories are as cinematic as the rise of Vaishali Rameshbabu. While the world watches her exploits, the man who has spent a decade moulding her talent, GM R.B. Ramesh, provides an intimate look at the sacrifice, ethics and the psychological sides of India's newest Women's World Championship challenger. Read the article to know more about not just the professional but also the personal side of this amazing champion. | Photo: ChessBase India
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The hero's entrance in Cyprus
The atmosphere in Cyprus was electric as Vaishali stood on the verge of victory. In a move Ramesh himself compared to a classic film, he made a last-minute dash to be by her side. "In movies, usually the police come after the heroes have captured all the villains", Ramesh joked, "so I did some kind of an entrance like that". Arriving just as she was walking onto the stage, the emotional impact was immediate. Vaishali's first words were, "I'm so glad my coach is here". For Ramesh, it wasn't just about the words, but the shared emotion of a decade-long journey reaching a crescendo.
In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.
Ramesh recalls meeting the family at an awards ceremony where he was to present a prize to a young Praggnanandhaa. Their father approached him about coaching both siblings, and Ramesh, seeing their potential and love for the game, immediately agreed. What followed was a gruelling routine day after day. For years, the siblings and their father would travel one to one and a half hours each way on a two-wheeler to reach Chess Gurukul.
The routine: They would arrive by 8:30 a.m., have breakfast, attend classes from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and eat all three meals at the academy just to maximize training time.
No excuses: Both Pragg and Vaishali have "tremendous work ethics", stating they never offered excuses like homework or exams. "If you say you have to work ten hours a day, they'll say okay."
Rameshbabu suffers from polio - but that has not come in the way of providing everything that he could for his children's success!
Ramesh is quick to point out that he didn't build this foundation. He gives immense credit to their first trainer, Thiyagrajan, for imbuing them with a "passion and work ethic" that are "out of this world". Ramesh believes Thiyagrajan has produced "gems" and deserves far more visibility for his contribution to Indian chess than what he gets right now.
Vaishali and Pragg's first trainer - Thiyagrajan
The "two Vaishalis" and the Pranesh factor
One of the most fascinating insights Ramesh shares is the psychological duality of Vaishali's play. He describes her as being at 60-70% of her potential, capable of "pure positional class"- citing her victory over Goryachkina - though she is also prone to simple mistakes.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions. The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines
Unlike the "poker-faced" image she presents, Ramesh reveals she is highly emotional and losses affect her deeply. To counter this during the intense Candidates Tournament, Ramesh and Aarthie (Ramesh's better half) made a strategic "non-chess" move: bringing in GM Pranesh M. Knowing Pranesh's casual and fun approach, Ramesh hoped he would keep the atmosphere "bright" and prevent Vaishali from dwelling on setbacks.
Interview with M. Pranesh on his role in team Vaishali
A legacy of ethics and the "Golden Triangle"
Beyond the board, Ramesh is most proud of Vaishali's unwavering ethics. He recalls a specific anecdote where a person offered her helpful information that she shouldn't have had access to. Her response was immediate: "No, I should not be getting this information". In an era where many might take a "sideways" advantage, Ramesh describes her as "extremely ethical".
The success of the siblings is also a testament to the "Golden Triangle" of coach, player and parents. Ramesh praises the parents of Pragg and Vaishali for their rare ability to "step back" and to trust the process. Unlike many modern parents who "panic" or "interfere" with opening choices and training decisions, Vaishali's parents have never told Ramesh how he should teach. After Pragg did not win the FIDE Candidates in 2024, Ramesh felt bad that he couldn't help Pragg win the event. He decided to take a step back as a trainer, but Pragg's father insisted that he should continue. "He showed absolute trust on me!", says Ramesh.
As Vaishali prepares to face five-time champion Ju Wenjun, she carries a childhood dream with her. She told Ramesh she is excited to finally play inside the "glass cubicle"- a sight she had marveled at since she was a young girl. While facing a seasoned champion will be a "tough challenge" Ramesh remains undeterred. He reveals a secret shared between himself and the siblings: "The three of us somehow... just know like it will happen".
Doesn’t every chess game get decided by mistakes? Absolutely. But most players never truly comprehend that they are making the same kind of mistakes over and over again.
They have always shared a "blind" trust that both Vaishali and Praggnanandhaa will eventually stand as World Champions.
Vaishali and Pragg have been blessed with amazing parents who have completely dedicated themselves to their chess career
Sagar ShahSagar is an International Master from India with two GM norms. He loves to cover chess tournaments, as that helps him understand and improve at the game he loves so much. He is the co-founder and CEO of ChessBase India, the biggest chess news portal in the country. His YouTube channel has over a million subscribers, and to date close to a billion views. ChessBase India is the sole distributor of ChessBase products in India and seven adjoining countries, where the software is available at a 60% discount. compared to International prices.
4/16/2026 – Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women's Candidates Tournament by defeating Kateryna Lagno in the final round, finishing clear first on 8½/14 and earning the right to challenge Ju Wenjun in the match for the world title. In this interview, Vaishali looks back on the months of preparation that followed her Grand Swiss victory, discusses the support of her family and team, and explains how she coped with the pressure of a tense and closely contested tournament. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde
4/16/2026 – Vaishali Rameshbabu won the Women's Candidates Tournament by defeating Kateryna Lagno in the final round, finishing clear first on 8½/14 and earning the right to challenge Ju Wenjun for the world title. Bibisara Assaubayeva drew with Divya Deshmukh and finished in sole second place, while Zhu Jiner and Aleksandra Goryachkina shared third. Arne Kähler caught first impressions from the players. | Photo: ChessBase / Nils Rohde
After 1.d4 d5 many players with White avoid the great amount of theory in the Slav, Semi-Slav, QGA and Orthodox Queen's Gambit and do not therefore play 2.c4. This is not very ambitious, but the painful experience of many chess players has been that the Colle System, the Trompowsky Attack, the Torre Attack and the London System are nevertheless extremely dangerous. Black has to be prepared for each of these openings and IM Valeri Lilov offers you some help with his six instructive videos, in which he demonstrates for each single opening a relevant plan for Black. In addition to the openings mentioned, the Bulgarian trainer also delves into the Catalan, the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit and the Richter-Veresov Opening.
You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
In this course, you’ll learn how to take the initiative against the London and prevent White from comfortably playing their usual system by playing 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 Nh5.
London System Powerbase 2026 is a database and contains in all 11 285 games from Mega 2026 and the Correspondence Database 2026, of which 282 are annotated.
The London System Powerbook 2026 is based on more than 410 000 games or game fragments from different opening moves and ECO codes; what they all have in common is that White plays d4 and Bf4 but does not play c4.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Opening videos: Open Spanish (Sipke Ernst) and Classical Sicilian (Nico Zwirs). Endgame Special by Igor Stohl: ‘Short or long side’ – where should the defending king be placed in rook endgames? ‘Lucky bag’ with 35 master analyses.
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