Exclusive: Why is chess so cruel? Ask Grandmaster SL Narayanan

NEW DELHI: The 21st variation of Delhi International Open GM Chess Tournament ended with a somewhat acquainted show nether the lavish extortion of Chhatarpur’s Tivoli Garden Resort connected Saturday evening.

Abhijeet Gupta, present a serial victor astatine this event, lifted the trophy for a grounds 4th clip and smiled for the cameras -- a Rs 7 lakh winner’s cheque successful hand.Seated astatine 1 broadside of the playing hallway quietly, mislaid successful thought, was Grandmaster SL Narayanan.27-year-old Narayanan came to Delhi arsenic the antheral to beat. The lone 2600-rated subordinate successful the fray, helium stormed done the archetypal 5 rounds with 5 wins.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!But chess, arsenic helium knows excessively well, tin beryllium merciless."I intelligibly wanted to triumph the event," Narayanan told TimesofIndia.com aft the last round. "After 5 wins successful 5 rounds, I relaxed a bit, reasoning a mates of draws wouldn’t hurt"

Indeed, 5 draws successful the past 5 rounds, each against lower-rated players, meant Narayanan not lone missed retired connected the rubric but besides finished extracurricular the apical five, settling for a humble seventh spot and Rs 1 lakh successful prize money.

"Yesterday’s crippled was peculiarly painful," the Keralite added. "I was wholly winning. I had 10-12 minutes connected the clock; connected immoderate different day, I would person converted that easily. But nerves got the amended of me."Chess is arsenic overmuch a intelligence conflict arsenic it is astir moves connected a board, and Narayanan knows amended than astir however cruel it tin be."I’ve been adjacent to 2700 once. Now, I’m astir 2600, a large drop. But I don’t deliberation my chess spot has fallen.

Mentally, though, I was trying excessively hard to triumph each game, and it backfired," helium admitted.

A travel that began astatine nine

Narayanan’s emotion matter with chess began acknowledgment to his mother, Lyna. "She utilized to play astatine her office. One day, due to the fact that I was truthful naughty astatine home, she took maine along," helium laughed.Fascinated by the moving pieces, the young Narayanan wanted to play. "I asked if I could play too. She said, ‘First, larn the moves.’ That became my goal: to play the adjacent year," recalled the Grandmaster, who was 9 backmost then.

"At that tourney hall, a rated subordinate noticed my involvement and suggested to my parent that I should get due training." That's however a accidental brushwood astatine that bureau tourney led him to P Sreekumar, a erstwhile authorities champion who became his archetypal coach.Unlike immoderate contemporaries who relied connected parents for preparation, Narayanan recovered his ain path. "I learned done books, a spot similar Gukesh, but not arsenic extreme. Until I became a GM, I stayed distant from chess engines.

I believed you needed to deliberation independently. But aboriginal I realised, arsenic a professional, motor enactment is simply a must."

The fiscal tightrope

Chess successful India has seen greater sponsorship successful caller years, but Narayanan’s travel hasn’t been casual connected that front."For a agelong time, I didn’t person a dependable sponsor. Once, Kris Gopalakrishnan of Infosys funded my travel to Turkey. When I made the Olympiad team, AICF gave maine Rs 12 lakh, which I utilized afloat for training.

And now, a backstage idiosyncratic is supporting my grooming this year," helium shared.

It’s a reminder that portion the athletics has grown, the players’ backing varies wildly. "In Tamil Nadu, the authorities supports players brilliantly. Grandmasters are recognised, achievers are rewarded. It motivates players. But successful different states, not lone mine, that enactment is missing. I anticipation that changes. Young players request encouragement."

A conflict disconnected the board

The past 2 years person tested Narayanan similar nary hostile ever has. "It’s hard to pinpoint, but my show truly dropped implicit the past 2 years. It’s not that my chess spot declined. Other players were improving rapidly, and keeping up meant moving highly hard, which I was doing. I conscionable couldn’t recognize what was going wrong, and that was frustrating. "When I was 24 oregon 25, I was astir 2700, which makes it rather frustrating to spot however I’ve dropped implicit the past 3 years.

But arsenic I said, if determination was a wide driblet successful the prime of my games, I would see it a superior issue. When I reappraisal my games with my manager and others, they can’t adjacent fig retired precisely what went wrong. It could beryllium that my mentality wasn’t ideal. I bash privation I could instrumentality that clip back. I’m definite I’d beryllium overmuch higher-rated now.

But that’s however it is, sometimes things spell your way, sometimes they don’t."ALSO READ: Bangladeshi chess subordinate deported from India; 80-year-old fable Rani Hamid 'disturbed' by events astatine Delhi airportBut the occurrence inactive burns. At 27, Narayanan isn’t acceptable to springiness up. "I inactive privation to play for different 2 oregon 3 years. I judge I tin travel back, arsenic agelong arsenic I support my intelligence cognition beardown and support looking ahead."And arsenic helium walked distant from the playing hall, caput held precocious contempt the disappointment, you could tell: SL Narayanan is acold from done with the crippled helium loves.In chess, arsenic successful life, the comeback is ever harder, and ever sweeter.