Aarav Sarbalia Reimagines Chess as Content (Special Arrangement) NEW DELHI: It was a 3rd round match between Rameshbaba Praggnanandhaa and eventual winner Javokhir Sindarov at the FIDE Candidates tournament a few weeks back. 12-year-old Aarav Sarbalia, a FIDE (FM) champion, joined the popular YouTube channel’s commentary panel virtually, covering the event live from Cyprus.It was Aarav’s first performance of this kind. He was asked several times to analyze the position and predict what he would play if he was sitting in the seats of either Praggnanandhaa or Sindarov.Both players are super-grandmasters who understand the lines on the board perfectly and predicting their tricks in advance is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, this young man, who rarely indulged in non-chess talk during his time on the jury, was able to navigate the intricacies of each position and more often than not anticipate moves in advance.
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Harika Dronavalli Exclusive: Inside Grenke’s #chess win, viral no-handshake incident and moreBelieve it or not, this 12-year-old is the latest sensation in the online chess world. But it’s not just because of what he does on the 64 squares with his pieces, but also because of what he makes of them by dominating every chess enthusiast’s social media feeds with what his father Yatin Sarbalia calls “fun reels”.“When we go to tournaments, parents come and say, ‘We liked yours. The one you did about parents was good,'” Yatin told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interview. “Our goal is not just to share what’s going on in the candidates or to show which tournament Aarav is winning. Our goal is to take our insights and our journey and put it out there in the form of good content so that people can learn a little bit more.” The process led the youngster to gain several notable followers, from Hungarian chess legend Judit Polgar to Vishnu Prasanna, the man who helped shape world champion Gukesh Dommaraja.“I heard some grandmasters told their students to go check out Aarav’s contents,” laughed Yatin.
How chess made its way
The journey did not begin in a house where chess was a way of life. In fact, Yatin, an IIT Roorkee graduate and now a technical head in Bengaluru, knew only the rudiments of the game.In June 2020, when COVID-19 locked the world inside, the Sarbalia family moved from Delhi to Bengaluru. As school and work moved into the home office, the family looked for a productive outlet.
Aarav Sarbalia Plays Against His Father (Special Arrangement)
In Delhi, Yatin saw a chess poster while picking up Aarav from gymnastics. Knowing that his son was verbally very good at calculations, they gave it a try.Once in Bengaluru, he was enrolled in the Chess Gurukul, an academy run by the legendary RB Ramesh.“It was a good time because we got to spend time as a family,” Yatin recalled. “When Aarav was taking classes, I would sit in class with him so I could learn a bit too. I could help and support him if he didn’t understand something.”
Access to social media
The social media pivot was born out of the cold, hard reality of sports. At the age of 11, Aarav had already become a FIDE champion. They started looking for sponsors. Despite Aarav’s accolades, including several first and second finishes in age-group tournaments across various formats of the game, the family found that the door remained closed.“We tried hard to find sponsors, but we didn’t get a positive response,” explained Yatin. “Sponsorship is a two-way street. People were asking, ‘What is Aarav’s presence?’ We never even thought about a social presence.”Coupled with the desire to improve Aarav’s communication and verbal skills, the parents decided to take the reins. While Aarav focuses on chess, his parents focus on social media presence.
Aarava Sarbalia Family (Special Arrangement)
However, the process is strictly regulated. Aarav doesn’t own a phone and knows nothing about scrolling culture.“In a month, Aarav will not spend more than two or three hours on it. We will set a specific time when we need him to act,” Yatin told the website.Parents write ideas and shoot a month’s worth of content in one sitting. For Aarav, it remains a game within a game. “He once asked me, ‘Dad, can I become a good actor too?’ and I said to myself, ‘Let’s focus on our chess first,'” his father added.
The fruits of labor
In addition to gaining followers, the exposure has already paid off in a more significant way. Not too long ago, a chess start-up gave Aarav a sponsorship and decided to back him. It was a major breakthrough, considering the staggering costs of elite chess involving top-ranked tournaments abroad.“Financially, it’s all our savings. If you make three or four trips to Europe in one year and stay for three to four months, you’ll spend at least 12 to 15 million,” admitted Yatin.
We stick to our goal as GM. And we do all the coaching and everything along those lines.
Yatin Sarbalia, Aarav’s father
Since Aarav is only 12, a parent always has to travel with him, doubling the cost. Yatin and his wife take turns traveling and taking care of their six-year-old daughter back in Bengaluru.But the results on the board justify the sacrifice. Aarav went from a rating of 1400 to 2000 in just a two month trip to Europe. By June 2024, he had climbed to 2300, avoiding the Candidate Master (CM) title altogether to become a FIDE Master.
The pursuit of the ultimate title
To navigate the treacherous waters between the year 2300 and the title of Grand Master (GM), the family sought the best. They targeted Surya Shekhar Ganguly, a six-time national champion and former runner-up to Viswanathan Anand.“We contacted him and tried very hard, followed him on Instagram, sent him messages,” Yatin revealed.It took six months of relentless pursuit before Ganguly agreed to test the youngster. Aarav passed in that one and Ganguly has been his primary coach since last year.READ ALSO: The making of India’s 95th CEO: Aronyak Ghosh, from chasing fees for the next tournament to helping parentsAarav’s current standard rating is around 2247 after a slight dip in France, but his focus remains steadfast as he prepares for his next stint in Munich, Germany, where he plays in the GM category.The family is no longer interested in incremental steps, as Yatin said: “We don’t think in our mind that our next goal is IM (International Master). We keep our goal as GM. And we do all the coaching and everything in that direction.”
