CHENNAI: One anecdote from Adam Tukhaev is all that it takes to suss the origin of the Ukranian GM’s calm, measured demeanour.
“It was three years ago, and the month was March. I had just returned home from the Swedish Chess League. That was when it happened. It wasn’t a good time, as all that happens around you does tend to percolate into your personal life. But, I’d like to think that it is possible to concentrate on what you love and block other things out.
I do consider myself lucky, because there were many who had it worse than me. Taking them into consideration, I guess I really shouldn’t complain,” he reminisced. Quite stoically, that too. Now, re-read the 28-year-old’s recollection after replacing ‘home’ with Crimea and the first ‘it’ with the post-Russian-occupation turmoil that the region is still enduring. In all probability, the aforementioned extra adverb won’t seem like a needless concatenation after you do.
If remembrances don’t make the cut as solid proof of character, then consider Tukhaev’s latest addition — on Wednesday — to his silverware cabinet: the Dr N Mahalingam Trophy for the ninth Chennai Open International GM chess tournament. He began his campaign in the ten-round event with seven wins on the trot; another testament to his level-headed approach to the sport.
“I’ve had moderate success throughout my career. But this year’s been a good one (on January 3, he won the second IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Open chess tournament). I’ve had decent wins as a GM before, like the Kavala Chess in 2010 and the Final Cup of Russia a year ago. But Mumbai and Chennai will now be more memorable.”
Considering that India isn’t unexplored professional territory for him — he had participated in the previous iteration of this event and ended fifth — Tukhaev does have on offer his two cents on how the new crop of India players are shaping up. “The general impression that I’ve gotten from my time here is that Indian youngsters are good with their theory.
They know their theoretical recommendations very well. That makes it hard for opponents to gain an edge immediately from the opening. “That, and they tend to defend really well too. If you do get an advantage against them, it’s still difficult to convert. Sometimes they don’t choose the most aggressive options, but they surprise you. Viswanathan Anand is the reason as to why the youngsters are good at defending”
rahulravi@newindianexpress.com
Final placings: 1) Adam Tukhaev (UKR, 8.5 pts), 2-5) Alberto David (ITA), Attila Czebe (HUN), Vadim Malakhatko (BEL), S Nitin (all 8.0 pts), 6-10) Vitaliy Bernadskiy (UKR), Adam Horvath (HUN), Vitaly Sivuk (UKR), Sahaj Grover, Andrei Deviatkin (RUS) (all 7.5 pts).