CHENNAI: Grandmaster Nigel Short has seen chess in various capacities. An unsuccessful challenger to Gary Kasparov’s world crown in 1993, the former World No 3 is a vice-president of FIDE these days. Impressed with India’s young talent pool, he is optimistic that the country will become a major destination for world chess in the coming years. In the city for a two-day workshop for players and coaches organised by chesslang.com, Short believes India will host major tournaments and like in the Indian Premier League, big names of the global game will be eager to play here.
“India over the next few years will host many quality tournaments like the Tata Steel Grand Chess Tour (which took place in Kolkata recently). Like the IPL, where every top player in the world comes to play, in chess too every top player in the world will come and play in India. As I said earlier, with better exposure, the youngsters are bound to improve,” opined Short.
Having played against Indians and taken part in open tournaments in India where a vast number of players participate, Short has a fair idea of the talent in the country. The Englishman is impressed particularly with the younger generation.“India has a very good talented bunch of players. Their understanding and knowledge of the game is outstanding. You have a good structure that helps producing Grandmasters on a regular basis. You have a good chess culture.”
Short mentioned two. “R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin are talented and gritty players. They have clarity of thought and know that their life is going to revolve around chess. With more and more exposure, their game will improve and I foresee a bright future for them,” said the 54-year-old.
Viswanathan Anand had shifted base from India to Spain and this helped him get better as a player as he rubbed shoulders against the best on a regular basis in various tournaments. Should youngsters in India also think of relocating? “Anand’s time was different. Now you can follow all matches at the click of a button as they are covered live on the web. The talented bunch need not relocate. They can stay in India and be successful.”
Ding Liren has dominated Magnus Carlsen in blitz this year with five wins. Many believe he can challenge Carlsen for the world title in 2020. “Ding Liren is immensely talented. He exposed Carlsen’s vulnerability in blitz this year. Carlsen is difficult to dislodge in the classical format. But Ding with his sharp mind has the potential to cause an upset on a given day,’’ explained Short.
Anand had a poor season and said after the last tournament that he had made good starts without being able to convert them into winning positions. Short thinks this is natural, considering that former champion will turn 50 soon. “Apart from skill, chess is also about energy. As you grow old, energy comes down. You cannot turn back the clock that easily,’’ he opined.