This was in 2019. The occasion was the Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz chess tournament in Kolkata. Top players including Magnus Carlsen were participating. The Indian contingent led by Viswanathan Anand didn’t do that well.
Anand was asked on the last day why had India not produced anyone after him who could be in the top 10 for a reasonable period and why no one had made it to the Candidates, the event that chooses the challenger to the world champion.
Indian chess had been breeding a number of promising Grandmasters (GM) for a few years by then. P Harikrishna, who reached No 9 in 2016, had been in the 20s/30s for a long time and still is. K Sasikiran was 21 in 2006, but has not been among the top 50 for a long time.
The summary of Anand’s reply to that question was, “The work is in progress. Results will hopefully be seen soon.” Four years on, the five-time former world champion and World No 1’s words have proven prophetic. Indian youngsters have made a statement at the World Cup in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, the birthplace of Garry Kasparov.
After not having a quarter-finalist in the event after Anand, Indians have four in the last eight, where Arjun Erigaisi faces R Praggnanandhaa. D Gukesh meets Norway’s Carlsen, while Vidit Gujrathi takes on local star Nijat Abasov. The top three from Baku will qualify for the Candidates.
The Indian show is remarkable also because of the number of youngsters propelling it. Vidit is the oldest of the four at 29. Arjun is 20, Praggnanandhaa 18 and Gukesh 17. The last three are eligible for junior events conducted by FIDE.
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“It shows the depth and strength of Indian chess,” said GM RB Ramesh, Praggnanandhaa’s coach for close to a decade. “To have 50 per cent participation in the World Cup quarter-finals, featuring three juniors, means our players are coming up to the top level. They are competitive and not willing to give in.”
Arjun’s coach, GM Srinath Narayanan, felt this had been brewing. “Indian players had already arrived,” he said. “Success at last year’s Chess Olympiad showed that. The unprecedented feat at the World Cup is a continuation of that progress. And I don’t see this changing anytime soon.”
While Gukesh is rated 11th in the world (seventh in live ratings, which are yet to become official), Vidit is 23rd, Praggnanandhaa 29th and Arjun 32nd. From 81st in May 2022, Gukesh has made spectacular progress and a duel with the World No. 1 is just reward.
Vidit has been in the 20s or thereabouts for nearly four years. Hailed as a prodigy since was he was 12 or so, Praggnanandhaa’s rise has also been sharp, from 89th in August last year. Arjun has more or less held onto his position after breaking into the top 30 last September.
Ramesh thinks talent, hard work and determination are the main qualities of his most famous student. “Praggu had these traits from a very young age. Every kid wants to be a world champion. Only a few are willing to pay the price for it. He knew he was going to reach the top and worked towards it.”
Srinath has been working fulltime with Arjun since December. Before that, they interacted on an irregular basis. “All these youngsters have their own specialities. The common factor is a strong base. In Arjun’s case, it’s his curiosity and appetite for information. He absorbs like a sponge! He learns something today and translates that into action the next day. All of them had strong formative years.”
Ramesh didn’t take a second to react on being asked to comment on the Praggnanandhaa-Arjun match. “I don’t gamble. Let’s wait.” Srinath said they were evenly matched. “On strengths and head-to-head record, they are very similar. If they play 10 times, it will be 5-5. In one match? Let’s see.”
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