VIJAYAWADA: A player could be sitting perfectly still across the board but that did not mean he was calm. A cough, a change in expression or even the colour of an opponent’s ears could give something away. Grandmaster MR Lalith Babu spent years learning to notice these little things. In chess the game is not always just about the 64 squares.
“I used to observe my opponents closely. Sometimes, under pressure their ears or face would turn red. You could pick up on these things,” he said. But he had to ensure his own face gave nothing away. Opponents sometimes tried to distract by coughing, making faces or repeatedly getting up from their seats.
“You have to remain calm. When I was younger I was overconfident. But one mistake can change the entire game. Even in a winning position you can lose with one wrong move,” he said, reflecting on lessons learnt over more than two decades in chess. His journey began during summer holidays in 2002 when his mother introduced him and his sister to the game. Curious about the pieces and how they moved, he soon developed a deep interest. What started as a pastime became a serious pursuit after he won a small trophy at a tournament organised by IGMC.
Vijayawada then had a thriving chess culture, with frequent competitions at venues including the Indoor Stadium. However, the road to success was far from easy. Without access to a laptop, his coach downloaded study material from internet cafés and shared it with him. During tournaments, he often relied on STD booths to stay in touch with his coach.
“Back then we didn’t even have a pen drive or a laptop. Those were the resources we had,” he said. Yet perseverance paid off. In 2012, at 19, he became the fourth Grandmaster from Andhra Pradesh. By then, he knew chess had to become his career.
Victories brought recognition, but setbacks left lasting lessons. His recent World Cup campaign was particularly disappointing. After spending months away from family preparing for the event, he exited earlier than expected.
“In chess you don’t get time to sit and think about a loss. You have to come back for the next round. You cannot carry the previous game into the next one,” he said. The exit hurt given the preparation he had put in. “People see achievements but not sacrifices or setbacks. Players need support when they are going through difficult periods, not only when they win,” he said.
Returning to form gets harder with age and family responsibilities, he admitted, but he had learnt not to compare himself with others. His latest win at the 43rd Munsterland Open in Germany, where he finished unbeaten with 7.5 points from nine rounds, ended a run of second and third-place finishes.
“After coming second or third many times winning felt special. It gave me the confidence that I could still do it,” he said. For someone who started out trying to figure out how the pieces moved the game has taken him a long way. Even after all these years there is still another opponent to read, another position to work out and another game to play.
