Following her impressive victory over fellow Indian player Divya Deshmukh in Round 9 of the Women’s Candidates tournament, Vaishali Rameshbabu provided insight into her mental preparation for this pivotal event. The 24-year-old has been collaborating with a psychologist to enhance her mental resilience during what is considered the most significant tournament of her career.

While Vaishali was discreet about the specifics of her psychological support, she did not confirm if her brother, Praggnanandhaa, is also receiving guidance from the same psychologist. Historically, few elite grandmasters have openly discussed their work with mental health professionals, with Gukesh being a notable exception when he worked with Paddy Upton during the 2024 World Championship.

Vaishali’s psychological training appears to be yielding positive results, as she currently leads the Women’s Candidates tournament after ten rounds. This position was solidified by her recent draw against Anna Muzychuk and Bibisara Assaubayeva’s win over Zhu Jiner.

Just two rounds prior, Vaishali was among a group of four players vying for first place. After the latest round, she now stands alone at the top, accumulating six points, which puts her half a point ahead of both Muzychuk and Zhu.

Vaishali and Zhu had entered Thursday’s round as co-leaders, but their performances diverged. Vaishali secured a swift draw, while Zhu struggled against Bibisara in the endgame, ultimately losing the match.

In a parallel event, Divya Deshmukh’s performance has seen her slip to seventh place in the Candidates tournament, mirroring her brother Praggnanandhaa’s position in the Open Candidates event, where he is also seventh with only four rounds remaining.

With her draw on Thursday, Vaishali has extended her unbeaten streak to five games, enhancing her prospects of clinching the Women’s Candidates title.

Prior to the tournament in Cyprus, Vaishali reflected on her challenging experience at the previous Candidates in Toronto, where she faced an “emotional roller-coaster.” After losing four consecutive games, she found herself at the bottom of the standings with only 2.5 points after nine rounds. However, she made a remarkable comeback, winning her last five games against notable opponents, which allowed her to finish tied for second place.

Following her recent win over Deshmukh, Vaishali was repeatedly questioned about her tendency to have streaks in her performance. She acknowledged this and mentioned that she has been actively working on improving this aspect of her game. “I’ve been reflecting on it a lot in recent months, and maybe my efforts are paying off. We will see the results by the end of the Candidates,” she remarked in an interview with Lichess.

In a familiar narrative, Vaishali has once again found herself on a winning streak, this time one that she welcomes. After a challenging start in Cyprus, where she was joint-last after five rounds with four draws and a loss, she has since climbed to the top position following three wins and two draws.

Before the current Candidates tournament began, Vaishali expressed that she felt significant pressure during her first Candidates in Toronto, which adversely impacted her performance. “I faced a lot of emotional challenges each day at the 2024 Candidates. The atmosphere and the preparation leading up to it contributed to the pressure I felt, which affected my playing style,” she shared with FIDE. “However, I shifted my focus from the outcomes to simply enjoying the game, and that change improved my results.”

This time, she employed a different strategy by limiting her participation in other events prior to the Candidates, allowing her to concentrate on preparation. “It was a different approach: not competing extensively and focusing on training games,” she explained to FIDE.

So far, this strategy appears to be effective, as Vaishali is now just four games away from potentially making history.

Amit Kamath serves as the Assistant Editor for The Indian Express based in Mumbai, specializing in chess and Olympic sports. He co-hosts the Game Time podcast, a weekly feature from Express Sports, and contributes a chess column titled “On The Moves.”