R Vaishali reflects on family support, reveals turning point after historic Candidates win: 'Lucky to have my mother'

R Vaishali pulled off the biggest victory of her career so far when she defeated Russia's Kateryna Lagno on Wednesday, finishing with 8.5 points out of 14 to become the first Indian to win the Fide Women's Candidates tournament. Vaishali had entered the 14th and final round of the tournament level on 7.5 points with Kazakhstan's Bibisara Assaubayeva with China's Zhu Jiner not too far behind on 7.

Also Read | Who is R Vaishali? Indian star who won Women's Candidates and qualified for World Championship

Bibisara and Zhu, however, were held to draws by Vaishali's compatriot Divya Deshmukh and Anna Muzychuk respectively. Vaishali, meanwhile, registered a comprehensive victory over Lagno while playing with white pieces to finish in the sole lead at the end of the tournament, thereby ensuring the Candidates had at least one Indian winner for the second edition in a row.

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Vaishali: 'Was trying to focus on my game'

And in the press conference following the biggest triumph of her career so far, Vaishali described the victory as a "dream moment for her" while expressing satisfaction over her ability to focus when the going got tough in the business end of the tournament.

"It’s amazing. It’s a dream moment for me. I had this one-point lead and I lost to Zhu Jiner. And then the field was wide open. I’m very happy that in the last two days I managed to focus, and today I think it was a nice game also," Vaishali told reporters at the Cap St Georges Hotel and Resort, where the tournament took place over the course of nearly three weeks.

"Before this game against Zhu Jiner, it was a one-point lead, which I did not expect at all to happen in this tournament. It sort of put some pressure on me, and when I lost to Zhu Jiner, I felt we’re back to normal now. In the last two days, I was just trying to focus on my game and to give my best because that’s all under my control," the Indian GM continued, reflecting on how she bounced back from her 12th-round loss against Chinese GM Zhu Jiner.

Vaishali's path towards her historic Candidate's triumph had begun at the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, last year. Vaishali wasn't having a great run heading into the tournament, losing to China's Tan Zhongyi in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup the previous month.

She would, however, regain her form in time at the Grand Swiss to successfully defend her title, finishing top of the table alongside Lagno with 8 points but being declared the winner after the tie-breaks. In the process, Vaishali became the first player, male or female, to successfully defend the Fide Grand Swiss title.

'Except for Grand Swiss, everything was going wrong'

According to the 24-year-old, the Grand Swiss triumph had come "at the right moment", and that the Candidates' victory was the culmination of two years of hard work that she and her team had put in.

"Lot of preparation behind this tournament. Last two years haven’t been so easy for me. Especially last year was very tough. Except for Grand Swiss, everything was going wrong. Grand Swiss win came at the right moment. I had something to look forward to and I worked really hard for this event and I just have to think my team. They helped me in every way possible.

"It’s continuous hard work. Somehow I was not getting result in the last couple of years. Everything put together came together here in this tournament," Vaishali continued.

What made Vaishali's victory even more special in the Mediterranean island was the fact that she was the lowest-rated player heading into the tournament, currently occupying the 19th spot in the latest Fide Women's Classical ratings.

Her low rating, however, was the result of a poor run over the last two years, and Vaishali knew in her heart that she could beat anyone of her seven opponents at the Candidates, including world No 4 Zhu Jiner – the top-rated player in the women's section of the tournament.

"I think I was the lowest seed by some huge margin. But I know at my best I can fight with all these players equally. Thanks to my team. As I said, they believed in me so much. Even when I doubted myself, they believed in me, so that kept me going."

Vaishali credits family support

Vaishali wasn't the only member of her family participating in the tournament, with her younger brother Praggnanandhaa finishing a disappointing seventh out of eight players after qualifying for the 'Open' tournament as the only Indian.

Their mother, Nagalakshmi, had also travelled to Cyprus with them, and according to Vaishali, the presence of family members was what gave her strength throughout her campaign.

"Family support is very crucial, especially in a tournament like this where it’s very gruelling emotionally. You’re going through a lot in a long tournament. I’m very lucky to have my mother and Pragg here, they’re supporting me so much. Definitely, family support is very crucial," she added.

Vaishali now faces China's Ju Wenjun in the Women's World Championship later this year, making her the second Indian to fight for the women's world title after Humpy in 2011.

Both World Championship matches this year will feature an Indian, with Gukesh Dommaraju set to defend his title against Javokhir Sindarov, who had won the 'Open' tournament with 10 points, clinching his victory with a round to spare on Tuesday.