The FIDE Candidates tournament is a chess marathon: 21 days, 14 matches per player, eight of the world's best chess players and one grand prize. There's only one real objective in this cut-throat competition: finish first.
How do you prepare for a tournament like this, where the margin for error is so slim that one bad move could potentially end your chances of becoming world champion?
The key is to approach it like any other tournament, says coach RB Ramesh, who has two players at the tournament: Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali.
While it may not appear so, chess is a ridiculously exhausting sport - both mentally and physically. And it gets all the more taxing in a tournament like the Candidates, which is played over three weeks.
During the tournament
Ramesh's advice is simple: eat and sleep well and play plenty of other sports. "It can get very tiring very soon, especially if a player is going through a bad phase; this can be an extremely prolonged agony event. It's very important to start well so that we don't get into that bracket. With positive outcomes, it becomes easier to push forward."
"I've asked both to sleep well so that their body and mind get sufficient rest and also go for long walks or play sports, whatever is available at the venue. In general, to have a healthy routine and stick as close to it as possible."
A routine is also something that five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand swears by. But at the same time, he feels you can offer suggestions on how to stay mentally and physically fresh, but you also need to account for the rigours of the tournament.
"You have suggestions, but each player is also used to their routines. When they follow their routine, their dopamine goes up and you shouldn't tinker too much with that. You'll have to allow it to be dictated by the tournament and the tournament situation. Some days you'll feel disgusted with yourself at the end. You might've spoiled a long game and then coming to you and saying 'Here's how many carbs you should have, how much protein you should have' doesn't make sense," he says.
Preparing in Chennai
In their bid to prepare for the Candidates, players often go into some form of isolation - away from the public glare - to cut out the noise and get into the zone. Ramesh did the same, organizing a camp for Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali away from the city.
The routine was such: eight hours of chess, different sports and physical exercises for 3-4 hours and sleep for 10 hours. Ramesh adds with a laugh that they did not have too many early starts since both of them "like to sleep a lot".
"We have also done some meditation sessions. They've been eating healthy, sleeping well and doing a variety of sports activities like beach volleyball games, badminton, table tennis, swimming and some jogging over the last few months to have a healthy energy reserve to build up competitiveness and some aggression into their mindset."
The sessions are taken seriously - one of those beach volleyball sessions ended with Ramesh's right wrist in a brace.
The people behind the players
Anand is the only Indian to have regularly featured in the Candidates and it's only fitting that he has a role to play this time around as well albeit in a different avatar - as a mentor.
Three of India's five representatives at the Candidates - Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali and D. Gukesh - are backed by the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA). Along with mentorship sessions from Anand, the players also have access to some of the most decorated names in chess.
For example: Gukesh trains with Polish GM Grzegorz Gajewski, who is renowned for his opening theories. Similarly, Vaishali has GM Sandipan Chanda in her corner, and he specializes in mid-game prep. "Vaishali has been working a lot with GM Sandipan. He has taken the lead in forming a team for her and guiding her preparation," notes Ramesh.
The results are there to see: within the last five months, Vaishali became India's third female Grandmaster, won the FIDE Grand Swiss and qualified for the Candidates.
The players can also pick the brains of endgame expert GM Artur Yusupov and former World Cup winner GM Boris Gelfand. This all-star squad, along with Anand, conducts regular sessions to support the players in all the facets of the sport. What's important here is that WACA "didn't replace or displace any setup" that the players already had, says Anand.
Approaching the actual matches
On the board, the Candidates poses a unique challenge: you have to prepare for seven different opponents. That means you need to work out innumerable scenarios, which is no mean feat.
"We work to identify all the openings that are likely to come. We see where we stand against each of those openings and work on them. It is tough to predict what the opponents will do because they will also be doing the same. They're not going to play what we expect them to play and will be planning their surprises and so on.
"In case I'm going to play against one opponent or in the World Championship match, then it makes more sense to go for a personalized approach. But here, there are still seven other players and hence we go through the openings of each of the players to prepare," says Ramesh.
The pairings are done in such a manner that players from the same country finish their matches early in the tournament so that they don't meet at the business end of the competition. "It's a pity because I think these guys are professionals and none of them is going to help another because of nationality. But you know, there's some old tradition," says Anand.
He adds that it's unusual to see Indians squaring up against each other because "it's only Russians who usually meet quite early. And now we are joining that party. Primarily, we should see them as individuals. Let's not forget, they may have to go against each other very viciously. They have to compete against themselves very viciously as well."
But he adds that there is a sense of comfort in having your compatriots around. "It's this very intangible feeling of seeing familiar faces or knowing that my countrymen are here. There's a slightly warm buzz."