Why Indian chess needs more big-ticket, Super GM tournaments

It was the time Lionel Messi landed successful Mumbai. The Wankhede Stadium looked arsenic tense with anticipation arsenic it would connected an IPL match-day, with thousands waiting to get in.

Not acold away, astatine the Royal Opera House, stars — galore of them, successful information — of a antithetic athletics were besides being awaited by fans. It was the opening time of the Global Chess League’s 3rd edition. After debuting successful Dubai and past moving to London, the league, a associated task of Tech Mahindra and satellite chess governing assemblage FIDE, arrived successful Mumbai past December.

Back successful India

Last week, the Indian tech elephantine announced that the GCL’s 4th variation would besides beryllium held successful India. That means the country’s chess followers volition again get to witnesser the biggest names successful the game. They had travel successful ample numbers for each time of the league. And they got to conscionable and click photos with their favourite stars.

“The effect from the spectators was tremendous successful Mumbai, and the sponsors were besides happy, and we truthful felt the GCL could person different play successful India,” GCL commissioner Gourav Rakshit tells The Hindu implicit the telephone from the United States. “Even erstwhile aboriginal editions of the league are held abroad, we volition proceed to person an lawsuit each twelvemonth successful India.”

India is the superpower successful satellite chess astatine the moment. The reigning World champion is an Indian. India is the reigning squad champion, too, among some men and women. India volition contention the World Championship lucifer this twelvemonth successful some sections. The existent women’s World Cup victor is an Indian, arsenic is the World inferior boys’ champion.

Much is close with Indian chess, yes. But, the information remains that India needs much big-ticket events similar the GCL. And if the state wants to fortify its bench, plentifulness of elite tournaments indispensable beryllium staged.

India is present an important big for FIDE’s authoritative events. Last year, Goa staged the World Cup, the astir prestigious knockout lawsuit connected the chess calendar. In 2022, Mamallapuram, adjacent Chennai, was the venue for the Olympiad, the eventual squad title successful chess, thing similar the Davis Cup of tennis. In specified events, lone a fewer selected Indians tin compete. What India needs is high-category backstage tournaments featuring the world’s apical stars — events that volition springiness opportunities to players conscionable extracurricular the precise elite and that volition besides assistance the crippled pull attention.

Of course, chess is getting progressively fashionable successful the country, and these days it astir apt gets much abstraction successful the media than anyplace other successful the world, but large events successful which the likes of Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura instrumentality connected the champion Indian talents would not wounded the selling of the game. And for India’s emerging players, specified tournaments tin supply large breaks.

Take the lawsuit of the Tata Steel Chess India tourney that is held successful Kolkata. It is the lone lawsuit that brings the world’s biggest stars to the state each year. The organisers besides guarantee that India’s agleam young talents get opportunities. In 2021, Arjun Erigaisi, who was seeded eighth successful a tract of 10, won the accelerated section, and past tied for the apical prize successful the blitz category, which helium lone played aft compatriot B. Adhiban pulled retired due to the fact that of illness. That proved a turning constituent successful Arjun’s career. He is present the world’s highest-ranked Indian.

Springboard for success

The pursuing year, R. Vaishali stunned the tract by winning the women’s blitz title, aft starting retired arsenic the seventh seed. That was the biggest triumph of her vocation until that point. Last period she won the Candidates tourney successful Cyprus to gain the close to situation Ju Wenjun for this year’s Women’s World Championship.

When Vaishali withdrew from the 2023 lawsuit astatine the past minute, Divya Deshmukh replaced her. Divya began arsenic the 10th seed, successful a tract of 10, and went connected to triumph the accelerated title. That was the biggest triumph of her vocation until she won the World Cup past year.

In 2023, the inaugural variation of Chennai Grandmasters, the strongest tourney ever successful India (with an mean standing of 2711) astatine that constituent successful time, was organised hastily to assistance players similar D. Gukesh and Arjun suffice for the Candidates. Gukesh won the tourney and took the past disposable spot astatine the Candidates, which helium won successful Toronto successful 2024. A fewer months later, helium defeated Ding Liren to go the youngest World champion successful history, astatine 18.

If the Chennai Grandmasters hadn’t happened, India would not person had its 2nd World champion (some 24 years aft Viswanathan Anand triumphed astatine Tehran). Gukesh volition beryllium challenged aboriginal this twelvemonth by Javokhir Sindarov, the Uzbek who is precise overmuch the antheral of the infinitesimal successful satellite chess.

Uzbekistan is 1 state that could situation India erstwhile it comes to outstanding young talent. “Uzbekistan understands the value of having elite tournaments,” S.L. Narayanan, a talented youngster who hasn’t got the opportunities helium deserves, tells The Hindu implicit the telephone from Germany. “You besides spot Uzbekistan conducting matches [a bid of games betwixt 2 players]. As a result, you tin spot the young Uzbek players getting stronger and caller talents emerging.”

Narayanan was erstwhile ranked 40th successful the world. “If we had specified tournaments successful India, players similar maine would person benefited greatly, alternatively of travelling crossed the globe,” says the Thiruvananthapuram-based Grandmaster. “When I came adjacent to reaching 2700, I had written to the organisers of respective large planetary tournaments, but thing happened. We request astatine slightest 4 high-category events successful India.”

Not that it is hard to behaviour specified events. You don’t request to prosecute a stadium oregon invitation a ample fig of players. All you request is intent. Given the presumption Indian chess enjoys astatine the moment, corporates are apt to connection sponsorships.

Showing the way

Chessbase India, with assistance from MGD1 and the Tamil Nadu government, showed the mode with the Chennai Grandmasters, the 2nd variation of which was won by Aravindh Chithambaram. One of the astir talented Indian players, helium promised a batch much erstwhile helium won sensationally, astatine the property of 14, the Chennai Grandmaster Open that was staged arsenic a sidelight of the 2013 World rubric lucifer betwixt Anand and Carlsen astatine Chennai.

Players similar Aravindh, Narayanan, V. Pranav and M. Pranesh could assistance Indian chess go stronger if they get to play Super Grandmaster tournaments successful India. “Of people we request specified tournaments,” says Pravin Thipsay, India’s 3rd GM. “Given the format of the GCL, not galore young Indians tin beryllium selected successful the franchises. The league has proved that India tin conceive and execute specified exciting, star-studded tournaments.”

There should beryllium more. Remember, Anand ne'er got to play an elite backstage tourney successful India erstwhile helium was among the world’s apical 3 for the amended portion of 2 decades. At slightest his successors merit better.