I would like an Indian chess championship with big money and all the top players: Aravindh Chithambaram

Aravindh Chithambaram is rated by India’s astir palmy chess manager R.B. Ramesh arsenic the country’s astir talented subordinate since Viswanathan Anand. He began good enough, and came up with immoderate unthinkable performances, but, aboriginal on, was overshadowed by a clump of different Indian prodigies that took satellite chess by storm. Over the past mates of years, Aravindh has yet shown what helium is susceptible of: past year, helium roseate to World No. 11. There is clip inactive for the 26-year-old to bash adjacent better. Excerpts from an interview:

You finished runner-up astatine the Prague Chess Festival earlier this year. You had won that lawsuit successful 2025. That was 1 of the champion performances of your career…

The triumph astatine Prague volition stay ace peculiar for me. It was specified a beardown tournament, with players similar Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer, Wei Yi and R. Praggnanandhaa. There is this grant for the champion crippled successful each round, and I wanted to get it adjacent much than the victory. And I yet got the grant for the champion crippled of the tourney — for the 1 against Anish. I was adjacent to winning the rubric astatine Prague this year, too. The modular of my chess was really bully this clip arsenic well.

You precocious became the archetypal Indian to suffice for this year’s Esports World Cup, to beryllium held successful Paris successful August.

Esports is simply a immense accidental for each the nonrecreational players similar me. Events similar these are important for players who marque a surviving retired of chess. I americium blessed that chess is besides present portion of the Esports community. It is getting bigger and bigger, and it is bully to spot that. Over the past 2 years, I person been trying to absorption some connected over-the-board tournaments and online events. And I americium gladsome that I person been capable to bash it.

Do you deliberation chess could go adjacent much mainstream by being portion of Esports and could get caller fans?

Yes, a batch of radical present recognise maine due to the fact that of S8UL Esports [the squad helium represents].

The archetypal turning constituent of your vocation was the Chennai Grandmaster Open tournament, which was held arsenic a sidelight of the World Championship successful 2013. You began arsenic the 53rd effect but won the tourney up of 21 Grandmasters, astatine the property of 14.

Yes, and I besides secured my archetypal Grandmaster norm, earlier making adjacent a azygous IM norm.

And your standing show was 2728, portion your Elo standing was 2335.

Chennai has ever been fortunate for me, I feel. It was my archetypal large tourney win. And you know, successful 2024, I won the Chennai Grand Masters, which changed my beingness completely. I did not person immoderate expectations. It was specified a beardown tourney with truthful galore beardown players. I lone wanted not to decorativeness last; that was the purpose basically. But things turned retired differently, you know, erstwhile I won my crippled against Arjun [Erigaisi]. Winning the tourney mattered a lot. Because my vocation had been a spot stagnant till that point.

True. Expectations had been beauteous precocious aft you caught the attraction of the chess satellite astatine a precise young age. You had won the National Under-19 Championship erstwhile you were 12. Your manager Ramesh has said immoderate large things astir you. 

At immoderate point, possibly I did not person immoderate goals. And my mindset had changed a bit.

How did you travel retired of that situation?

I started doing things similar putting successful much effort than usual. I deliberation that made a difference.

How overmuch of an power has Ramesh been successful your life? He is the 1 who took you to Chennai from Madurai.

Yes, I moved to Chennai to get coached by him. He has been a immense enactment to me, not conscionable successful presumption of chess. He was the 1 who got maine sponsors that enabled maine to play successful tournaments abroad, and those events helped maine unafraid my IM title. I retrieve him posting astir maine connected Twitter and radical from assorted countries contributed. He besides got maine a scholarship.

And it is not casual for Indian players to amended without support, arsenic determination are hardly immoderate elite tournaments successful India. The Chennai Grand Masters is an exception. And that tourney was organised arsenic an accidental for the likes of D. Gukesh and Arjun to combat for the past disposable slot successful the 2024 Candidates. Gukesh went connected to triumph astatine Chennai, past the Candidates and the World rubric lucifer against Ding Liren.

Yes, that showed however specified beardown closed tournaments [instead of unfastened events] could assistance the Indian players trying to interruption into the apical tier of satellite chess. We request much tournaments similar that, nary uncertainty astir it. That volition beryllium a large assistance for respective players similar maine successful India. I would besides similar to person an Indian title with large prize wealth and each the apical players taking part.

Something similar the US Championship?

Yes. I would emotion to play successful specified a National Championship successful India.

And it would beryllium large from the selling constituent of presumption arsenic well, a Nationals that volition person each the champion Indian players, including Gukesh, Arjun, Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin. It would beryllium a large accidental for players similar you, S.L. Narayanan, V. Pranav, Leon Mendonca…

Indeed. With truthful galore beardown players successful India, we should person a National Championship similar that.

At the Prague Festival, you defeated Gukesh, who hasn’t been successful large signifier for immoderate time. Most radical person present picked Javokhir Sindarov arsenic the favourite successful Gukesh’s World rubric lucifer aboriginal this year.

I deliberation we would spot an adjacent combat successful that match. Gukesh is going done a pugnacious time. But everyone could spell done specified a phase, and it is simply a substance of clip earlier Gukesh gets his signifier back. But it requires a batch of effort. And determination is plentifulness of clip for him to get backmost into shape. I americium not amazed that Sindarov won the Candidates to gain the close to situation Gukesh. He had a precise bully tally astatine the World Cup successful Goa [where helium was the champion]. And helium played exceptionally good successful the Bundesliga, too.

And R. Vaishali volition beryllium playing the Women’s World Championship lucifer against Ju Wenjun of China.

It would beryllium an absorbing situation for Vaishali. She has the imaginable to triumph the World title. This is her archetypal World rubric match. She volition request a antithetic benignant of mindset to play the World Championship match. I anticipation she manages to bash that. It is large that an Indian is playing successful some the World rubric matches.