HYDERABAD: Speaking at TNIE’s latest edition of Hyderabad Dialogues ahead of the event, the 20-year-old prodigy from Warangal spoke about how he loves team tournaments and the camaraderie that would help India in the upcoming Olympiad. Unlike the last Olympiad where he set a target of 8.5/11 and went on to achieve it, this time around, a more mature Arjun realises that it would only increase the pressure on him. He’s not just better at chess, he has learnt meditation techniques now. Asked how he ensures he is calm while playing an intense game, he says, “It is like what Lord Krishna told Arjuna in the Mahabharat. You just give your best and whatever will happen … will happen.”
Reflecting on his tough loss to Pragg in the 2023 World Cup quarterfinals, he says that a defeat used to bother him for days and affect the next game too. “But now, when there is a bad outcome, I do feel bad for an hour but move on after that,” he notes.
Arjun also speaks about overcoming the fear of losing against higher-rated opponents, spending months at NVS Ramaraju’s coaching centre in Hyderabad and playing chess all day, the upcoming Ding Liren-Gukesh world championship match and what the Telangana government can do to help its chess players. Excerpts:
The last Chess Olympiad went well for you. In the final round, you defeated [Leinier] Dominguez [of the US] smoothly and also crossed 2700 Elo mark. Is there any other game that went as smoothly after that?
There should be many but one I can recall is a game against [Vladislav] Kovalev in the 2023 Sharjah Masters. Not only was it smooth but it was also aggressive, that is one of my favourite games.
In the 2018 World U-16 team championship, Srinath Narayanan was the team captain. He has said in an interview that you wanted to play on board No 3 so that you could score heavily there.
Back then, I was afraid of some players. I didn’t want to be on board No 1 and I thought it would give me better chances if I play on 3. But he insisted that I play on board 1 since I was clearly the strongest player in the team. Like he thought, it worked out quite well. I scored +5 on board 1 and the others managed to do well and we secured silver. I defeated Nordibek [Abdusattorov] and [Andrey] Esipenko.
What is the role of a captain in a team tournament?
The players are at such a high level that there is not much to teach us. The captain is more of a manager and also takes care of the team camaraderie. We do have a good camaraderie and that will help us play well as a team in the upcoming Olympiad.
Srinath has said that you had a target of 8.5/11 before the last Olympiad and went on to achieve it. Any target for the next one?
No, I do not set targets anymore. When you achieve the target it looks nice but the thing is, the target pushes one too much for a win and that leads to losses.
You started playing chess when you were in Tirupati. Your parents have said that they introduced you to dancing and swimming as well.
When I was young, my parents enrolled me in many things — chess, swimming, dance, skating, music. I liked chess the most and I spent hours and hours every day.
It was a teacher who introduced you to chess at the Tirupati school, right? Have you met her afterwards?
My father used to do MS in Tirupati and we used to live there. Vidya madam from my school told my parents that I am quite fast at maths and that they could enrol me in chess. Unfortunately, I haven’t met her later but we have been in touch over the phone many times, even this year.
Tell us about the puzzle book that your father told TNIE that you had solved very fast at a young age.
It was at Sampath sir’s academy, I was eight. Even the most senior players couldn’t finish that book. It was a mate-in-three puzzle book. Back then I used to sleep at 9 pm. When he gave me this book, I was up till 1 am and woke up and again went back to the book. There were over 3,000 puzzles. I finished it in five or six days and he was very impressed.
After Mr Sampath, who was your next coach?
It was Sudarshan sir, he is originally from Kakinada. He had another student from Warangal and he had moved there. It was about three years. Under him, I learnt many non-chess things as well. Back then, I just couldn’t stay away from my mother. That was the first time that I travelled to tournaments with just my coach. It was a different experience.
And then it was Mr Ramaraju?
Yes, my actual coaching began under Ramaraju sir. Until then, it was all about the basics. But from there, it was always competitive. That’s when I started to feel that maybe I could become a professional.
What was the daily routine like?
In the morning, we used to wake up at 7 am and go for a walk. The actual chess work began at 9.30 am and went on till around noon. We had a one-hour break and then again chess till evening. Then one hour of other sports followed by a few hours of chess and then dinner. This was my routine for six–seven months.
Recently, at an event in Kolkata, you mentioned the 2016 Aeroflot Open where you were determined to play in Group A and endured a poor performance. What made you choose Group A?
I was having a very good time. I was 2100 and in three tournaments, I went to 2379. So I became a bit overconfident. I thought if I played in Group A and scored 50%, I could cross 2400. It turned out to be a bad decision and I regretted it [Arjun finished last]. But looking back, it was a good decision because I got the experience of playing against much-stronger players.
Back then, how did you deal with such a disappointing performance? You had high expectations [Arjun was 13].
I was extremely upset. I must say that I am fortunate that my family has been supportive. They were not disappointed, they took it as a learning experience for me.
Any advice for parents?
To all the parents out there, if there is pressure, it only makes the players worse. If the player is able to play freely, then that is when they can give their absolute best.
There was a period between January 2016 and January 2018 when you were stuck in the 2300s. Your father has spoken about how he had given your mother a deadline around Class 10 — that you had to leave chess and concentrate on studies if you didn’t become an International Master soon.
I was not aware of the deadline then [smiles]. I was not going to school at all. He was sad that I was missing my childhood. So if I wasn’t doing well in chess, maybe it would do me good to go back to school. My mother could sense that I was enjoying chess a lot. So she asked him for about six months time. It took a bit longer, it was eight months. I don’t think there are many people who have done that [bagged three IM and three GM norms in such a short span of time].
Did you change your method of preparation? Any advice to those who are stuck similarly?
I didn’t change anything. I trusted the process, continued what I was doing. It worked out because what I was doing was essentially good. So if you think you are preparing well, then continue to believe in that process.
Have you ever succumbed to a draw offer from a stronger opponent in a position where you could have done better? When and how did it change?
Back then, I was too scared against higher-rated players. Whenever I got a draw offer, I used to accept it. Even after I became a GM in 2019, that fear was there in me when facing 2600s. A complete change happened only in 2021.
How about your compatriots, say Nihal Sarin?
Nihal and I were similar. Similar was the case with Rithwik. Pragg and Gukesh were a bit different. All the Chennai boys, the way they are taught the basics and hence how they approach the game is quite different.
Any favourite tournament?
Recently, I played in the World Rapid and Blitz team championship. And I loved the experience. I am already looking forward to next year. I am a huge rapid and blitz fan compared to classical. And I love team events and this is a mixture of both. And there is no other event like this. I defeated Magnus [Carlsen] in one of the games. It’s a pity that despite the victory, we still lost.
You have played many classical games this year. It’s not normal for a player of your calibre, right?
I have played around 80+ classical games. Definitely, it is not normal. After I broke into the top 10, my tournaments have reduced. My last classical game was over two months ago, June 21. Next year, it will be limited as well because now I get the invites.
After the Olympiad, where will you be playing?
After the Olympiad, I will be playing in the Global Chess League in London in October. Magnus, Hikaru, Pragg, Nihal will also be competing. It is one of the best events, it is a rapid team tournament. After that, I will be participating in a knockout tournament in London, that’s a classical tournament. Then I will be playing in a European club tournament.
What do you do in your free time, apart from playing chess?
I play table tennis. I am not good at it but it is one of my favourite things. I used to play badminton. I watch a lot of movies, all genres except horror.
How do you manage to keep your focus and composure during intense matches?
This is one of the toughest things. It affected me last year, the World Cup quarterfinal against Pragg [where Arjun lost in a sudden death blitz game after being tied in the classical portion and three sets of rapid and blitz tiebreaks]. I wanted to qualify so badly and it affected my nerves. After this, I have come to a realisation that it is best if I care less. I have done the inner engineering [course at Isha] for that. It has helped me greatly.
It is a bit like what Lord Krishna told Arjuna in the Mahabharat. You just give your best and whatever will happen… will happen.
Srinath has spoken about the benefits of meditation. Have you ever thought of going to, say, a Vipassana retreat?
He did mention it back in the day but I didn’t take it very seriously. It was only when I had a tough phase that I decided to give it a try.
How long does it take for you to get over the losses?
Earlier, a loss used to bother me for many days and affect the next game too. I took some massive risks because I really wanted to win [after a loss]. Recently, when I lost a game in a tournament in China, I was angry but recovered in an hour. When it came to the next game against Anish Giri, the loss had no effect on me and I won.
You met Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy recently.
I met him for a minute and he congratulated me.
If there is a super GM tournament in Telangana, how would it be? Is there any added pressure playing at home?
I would enjoy it more if it happens here in Telangana.
On the infra for chess in Telangana compared to Tamil Nadu.
In Tamil Nadu, chess players are rewarded more. In Odisha, which has fewer grandmasters than Telangana, even the IMs get a good amount yearly for their chess budget.
The reward and recognition is much less in Telangana. Let’s say that there is a 2500 who has become a GM and wants to be a professional, then there is no reward immediately and he is getting nothing. He might not be sure how to make a profession out of this even if he reaches 2600. It would be great for not just chess but all the sports if players receive more support from the government.
People might think chess is just sitting with a board in front of you. Can you elaborate on the expenses involved?
Coaching expenses are extremely high. This is one of the most underlooked aspects. Travelling to tournaments at a lower level, you have to pay for your stay, flight tickets, everything.
Apart from rewards, what sort of infrastructure needs to be developed in Telangana to match TN?
One of the things is having a training place dedicated to chess. Once I went to Shenzhen in China. They have three buildings just for chess players. They have regular training camps there. It was all with government support. Something of that sort will be great because we have many good players, but we all work individually. If we work together, that would help.
Ding Liren appears to be having a bad phase ever since he became the world champion. Even in the recent Sinquefield Cup, he didn’t perform well. Do you think Gukesh is the favourite in the World Championship match?
Two-three months ago, I was certain that Gukesh was going to win because Ding was playing at a very poor level. But now, in the Sinquefield Cup, although he is not doing great, his quality has been good. If he continues in this direction, it will become a 50-50 match.
How would you define success?
I believe that if you are today where you wanted to be five years ago, that is success. But as Mahesh Babu said in Maharshi, it is the journey not the destination.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I hope to become the world champion.
Do you read books?
Well, I tried reading fiction and all kinds of things but nothing interested me so I just gave up [laughs]. I tried to read once in a flight as there was no internet but after two pages, I told myself ‘Ah, I’m done’.
How was your recent visit to Kolkata, where you went to St Xaviers College?
I was the chief guest for a chess tournament at St Xaviers. It was so nice to see so many kids playing chess. The main thing I like about Kolkata is its Tata Steel Chess Tournament.
Have you tried Kolkata biryani?
Biryani? It’s the best in Hyderabad! (laughs)
(TNIE team: Prasanna RS, Reshmi Chakravorty, Shreya Veronica, Lovely Majumdar, Ajay Tomar, Darshita Jain, Sri Loganathan Velmurugan)