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Vaishali Rameshbabu hasn't turned 21 yet, and come July she will wear the Indian colours at the Chess Olympiad 2022. In the same team as her, seasoned veteran, Koneru Humpy is also raring to go. In fact, both women feature as part of an all-women team that India is fielding at the Olympiad. Yet, their approach to the game couldnt be more contrasting.

"Im more excited than nervous the Olympiad is going to be great and Im looking forward to it," says the soft-spoken Vaishali, as she and Humpy sit down for a chat with CNBC-TV18.com, to discuss their teams preparations in the run-up to the Olympiad, to be held in Chennai next month.

"I dont have a fixed schedule or a routine, she adds while throwing light on her training, "My sleep cycle changes a lot too I play a bunch of online chess games at night so I end up having a checklist but never follow it."

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Seated at the same table, Humpy smiles. "I have a proper routine and schedule," she says, "My daughter is only four and I cant help but ensure that everything is down a routine for me, even back at home. I keep telling myself today to play more training games so that I can stay focused."

Focus, among other skills, was pretty much the order of the day when 15 of India's finest chess players sat down with the newly appointed mentor and champion, Viswanathan Anand, and coach Boris Gelfand, to train for a tournament that India will host only for the first time.

India is fielding three teams comprising 15 players in all. Key Indian chess prodigies and young champions, including the likes of R Praggnanandhaa and Tania Sachdev among others will turn up for the country at the Olympiad.

Many would agree that with the support for chess stronger now than before, this is probably the countrys best chance to go for gold. Having a name like Viswanathan Anand around is an added advantage.

"When he (Anand) shares instances from his own experience, you tend to get some insight into his thought process, which ends up being more valuable to us than him saying 'do this' or 'do that'," says Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, who joins us in conversation and throws some light on Anands mentorship. "What was he thinking about while playing a tournament? How was he preparing? The answers to those questions give us more insight than specific advice ever would."

As simple as that might sound, the fact remains that training the mind comes with layers of process. This trio knows that all too well. Ive been analyzing positions and looking at end-games from a psychological perspective, says Vaishali, Ive also been preparing some new openings."

For Humpy, preparation involves brushing up on on-board, in-person experience. "I'm lacking a bit of on-board practice experience since I havent played in too many tournaments barring one in December," she adds, "So, I'm focusing on playing a bunch of training games as I acclimatize to the psychological side of on-board chess when compared to virtual chess."

The last two Olympiads were virtual affairs on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a relative return to normalcy in India has permitted teams from around the world to gather in Chennai to play the Olympiad in person, for the first time in two years. Players have had to adjust, accordingly, even equipping themselves with skills that on-board chess games demand. The pressure of representing the country in a big-ticket tournament, however, is ever-present.

"It (pressure) is more in the last couple of years because more newcomers have come into the world of chess," says Vidit, "When you root for someone, you want them to do well. There are people from all places who will travel to watch us perform LIVE. So, that means they come with expectations, and that is something that will weigh on our minds."

Humpy agrees: "Being hosts, everybody is expecting us to win a medal, but I believe we shouldnt think only about results. Its important to enjoy the game, and we should take risks only when the situation presents itself."

Vidit is currently in the process of working on his conversion rate, which he concedes fell upon hard times when it came to finishing games in the last couple of tournaments. "Outside of the preparation, Ive begun telling myself to say no a lot more these days," he adds, "Whenever Im to take an important decision, I ask myself whether the decision I make will help me with the Olympiad. As it turns out, you need to say 'no' to 99 percent of the things so that you can focus on the 1 percent that helps actually you."

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