KOCHI: Nihal clearly prefers his chess to speak for himself. When asked how he felt about playing against Vishy Anand in the Tata Steel India rapid and blitz chess tournament in November at Kolkata, super tournament, he responds in a deadpan voice, “excited,” as if that should suffice for all plethora of emotions a youngster could have whilst playing against one of the biggest giants in chess. But that’s 14-year-old Thrissur-based Nihal Sarin, India’s 53rd grandmaster (GM), second youngest International Master in Indian history and third youngest in the world, for you.
Nihal earned the title of the 12th youngest grandmaster in chess history and the third from Kerala at the Abu Dhabi Masters that took place in August. Yet, Nihal has no trappings of his newly-acquired status. “My parents help a lot,” he answers when asked how he juggles academics and chess tournaments. Having started playing at the age of six, this prodigy is the child of the internet. “He trains himself online. Chess is a game of the mobile era,” says Priyadarshan Banjan, Nihal’s manager.
“Nihal is his own person. He is an independent guy who has absolute clarity on what he wants, what works for him and what positions work best for him. He’s extremely alert and analytic,” Priyadarshan continues. Unconventionally trained, Nihal’s coaches 23-year-old Indian GM Srinath Narayanan and Ukranian GM Dimitri Komarov help him through the internet. “There is no training day in and out, he does most work by himself and is self-sufficient,” Priyadarshan says.
Nihal is more than your regular GM. Not that one meets a GM every other day. What distinguishes this youngster from the rest of his peers and competitors is his selfless character. Discreet by nature and probably a believer in ‘The right hand mustn’t know what the left-hand does’, Nihal raised funds through a show that was held on the ChessBase India Youtube channel, garnering contributions from Vishy Anand and Koneru Humpy themselves. The total amount collected and donated to the CMDRF was Rs 1,74,463.
If there’s anything that goes hand-in-hand with chess, it’s education. A firm supporter of academics, Nihal sees education as a cause and wants to give back in such terms.
Chess as a game is stereotyped as a ‘boring’ game suited for nerds and intellectuals. However, such notions are ‘changing. According to Priyadarshan, technology is changing the face of chess. “Chess is now what cricket was in the 1980s. Cricket was popularised through the television. And now, chess would follow its footsteps via the internet,” he says.
When asked about his favourite chess piece, Nihal quips, “There is no such thing. Everything depends on the position that the piece is in. Nevertheless, I’d say the real battle is bishop versus knight,” and signs off.
(The Tata Steel India rapid and blitz chess tournament will be held in Kolkata from November 9 to 14. Six Indians have been selected for the tournament. Nihal will be playing against the likes of Vishy Anand, Sergey Karjakin and other big names. Consisting of two rounds, the rapid round and blitz round, Nihal will be playing the rapid round and Praggnanandhaa, the second-youngest grandmaster will battle the blitz round.)