BUDAPEST: "I want to be world champion." Those are the words of S Tamizh Amudhan, the nine-year-old who burst into the consciousness of the chess community after he beat Vincent Keymer in an online freestyle game earlier this year.
Amudhan is currently taking part in the SixDays event in Budapest. Even if he's competing way above his level — the average rating difference between Amudhan and his opponents is at least 150 rating points — his dad, Satish, says 'we are here for the experience'.
Amudhan is one of over a dozen Indians at the SixDays event, happening away from the glitz and glamour of the pilot edition of the Total Chess World Championship. While the latter is happening at the Anantara New York Palace hotel — one of the city's iconic landmarks — the former is taking place inside the country's chess federation, tucked away on one of the floors of a nondescript building 30 minutes away on foot.
On Friday morning, Amudhan was involved in his eighth Classical game over the last few days (at the lower level, players generally tend to play multiple games in the same day). He battled for over four hours, but a one-move blunder handed his opponent, Michail Vassis, the opportunity to checkmate his young opponent and Vassis, who enjoys a 350-point rating advantage, didn't need a second invitation.
After Vassis had checkmated his opponent, Amudhan was slow to extend his hand. He was still processing how he had managed to lose from a dead draw position. "The only reason why I kept playing was I was playing a very inexperienced opponent," Vassis told this daily. "These are the losses I have when I'm playing against GM-titled players."
It has been a bruising tournament for Amudhan, as he has lost each of his opening eight games of the tournament. However, at this age, experience counts for more for the Candidate Master. Until very recently, he was ranked No. 1 in the world in his age group.
But seeing young Indians in tournaments abroad is a reminder of the gruelling world they live in to ensure they make norms. Not to mention the costs involved. "He's now sponsored by the Hatsun chess academy, but we had to take care of funding till very recently," Satish said. Trained by Vishnu Prasanna — D Gukesh's former coach — Amudhan is a fan of the legendary Mikhail Tal for his attacking play. "I like to play very attacking chess," he said.
How does Amudhan manage his schooling and chess? "He studies when he's at the academy," Satish said. From Sivakasi, he spends over 20 days every month at the academy where chess is the main focus. There's little doubt in Amudhan's mind that he will eventually make the required norms. For the time being, though, he's learning the harsh realities of chess at this level.