Badminton has now become a chess game: Kirsty Gilmour

Badminton has become as much a mental game as it is physical, said reigning European women’s singles champion Kirsty Gilmour as she compared the modern playing style to a game of chess.

She said badminton has evolved over the years to become a sport in which mental fortitude plays as big a role as physical tenacity.

“There is a man-to-man match happening and there is also a chess game happening at the same time. Just trying to stretch one area and open up another area. I am really working on the mental side of my game along with physical side, which has become crucial,” the world number 35 Scottish shuttler said.

Gilmour crashed out of the World Championships after losing to fifth seed Han Yue of China 22-20 13-21 13-21 in the opening round that began here on Monday.

Describing the ongoing event as markedly better than the India open held at the same venue earlier this year, the 32-year-old Gilmour said she was pleased to see the availability of sanitary napkins in women’s washrooms. This is Gilmour’s 10th appearance at the world event since her debut in 2013.

“I think it’s great. We plan as much as we can for that but sometimes our bodies have different ideas and plans, different hormones. So I think just we have toilet rules, we should have sanitary products as well.

“I am very proud to come from Scotland because it is the first country in the world to make it mandatory for public places to have sanitary products. I would really love to see uptake here and in other countries,” she said.

She is quite pleased with the upgraded arrangements for the ongoing mega-event. The India Open was marred by images of pigeon poop on playing courts and the spotting of a monkey in the spectator stands. Adding to the chaos was Delhi’s poor air quality and the freezing conditions inside the venue.

Stung by the criticism that came from players as well as observers of the game, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), along with the Badminton Association of India (BAI) carried out renovation of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

Gilmour said the drift is an issue in the ongoing event but it is the same for all shuttlers.