KOCHI; In the second part of 2020, popular streaming platform Netflix released the show The Queen’s Gambit, which told the story of an orphan chess prodigy who struggles with addiction while she makes her way to the top. The show triggered high traffic on chess websites, not to mention increased sales of chess sets and a tremendous newfound interest in the game.
The same year, closer home, Thrissur-based child prodigy and chess Grandmaster Nihal Sarin won the Chess Olympiad, the FIDE U-18 World Youth Chess Championship and bagged silver at the Asian Team Championship. He also beat multiple champions at the Junior Speed Chess Championships and Karpov Trophy. The 16-year-old, with an Elo rating of 2,620, is also one of the five first-batch mentees training under Grandmaster and former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand. TNIE catches up with Nihal and his journey.
As someone who has trained online majorly, did you find playing virtual tournaments easier? Is it foolproof?
I did have certain advantages in terms of faster time controls. But my opponents were equally efficient as most of them have some experience playing online. It is all about handling pressure moments consistently. Of course, chances of cheating are higher online but the organisers take precautions to avoid the same. It would be best to constantly improve anti-cheating measures.
Could you tell us about memorable games of 2020?
For me, it wasn’t very different. There were some scary moments when internet speed played the villain. At the online Olympiad, the final game was a bit confusing because of an internet lag (the move I made did not reach the server on time). Fortunately, the internet outage had happened in multiple places across the world so the match was declared drawn.
With virtual games being the norm last year, did you get more time to practice chess or did you work on other interests?
I don’t think it allowed me to practise more. I mostly learn by playing and for that, travelling to tournaments and having training partners are important. I missed out on those in 2020.
The popularity of chess soared last year. Did you notice friends or classmates who expressed interest in the game for the first time?
We already have chess in school, so my immediate non-chess friends already know a bit about the game. In the past seven years, schools in India and abroad have widely adopted the project ‘Chess in Schools’ as part of their curriculum, owing to the initiatives by FIDE (International Chess Federation) and AICF (All India Chess Federation)
You’re among the selected few in Viswanathan Anand’s WestBridge Anand Chess Academy. How does it feel to be mentored by India’s finest?
I have been working with him in some capacity or the other for many months now. I’m already comfortable and enjoy my sessions with him and Gajewski (his second), Sandipan Chanda (former second) and Arthur Yusupov, who are also part of the WestBridge Team.
What does 2021 have in store for Nihal Sarin?
I want to focus on playing as many matches as possible and try to keep learning new things in 2021. Hopefully, over-the-board chess will restart soon.