SL Narayanan on Delhi International Open Open GM Chess Tournament (Photos: Special Arrangement Timesofindia.com) New Delhi: 21. Edition Delhi International Open Open GM Chess Tournament ended with a somewhat known view under the rich roof of Chhatarpur’s Tivoli Garden Resort on Saturday evening. Abhijeet Gupta, now a serial winner at this event, raised the trophy record fourth and smiled for cameras – RS 7 lakh winners in his hand.On the one hand, the playing hall sat quietly on one side of the playing hall, lost in his thoughts, and was the Grand Master of SL Narayanan.27 -year -old Narayanan came to Delhi as a man to beat. The only 2600 player in Fray attacked the first five laps with five wins.Go beyond the border with our YouTube channel. Subscribe!But chess, as he knows too well, can be ruthless.“I wanted to win this event clearly,” Narayanan said after the last round of Timesofindia.com. “After five victories in five rounds, I relaxed a little and I thought a few draws wouldn’t hurt”
DELHI INTERNATIONAL GM OPEN FINAL FAMILY (special arrangement of Timesofindia.com)
In fact, five draws in the last five rounds, all against players with a lower rating, meant that Narayanan not only missed the title, but also ended up outside the top five, settled in a modest seventh place and RS 1 lakh at prices.“Yesterday’s game was particularly painful,” Keralite added. “I won completely. I had 10-12 minutes on hours; I would have converted it so easily on any other day. But the nerves have improved.”Chess is the same mental battle as about moving on the board, and Narayanan knows better than most, how cruel it can be.“I was almost 2700 once. Now I’m around 2600, a big decline. But I don’t think my chess force dropped. Mentally, but I tried to win too hard every game, and it failed,” he admitted.
The way that started at nine
Narayanan’s love affair with chess began with his mother’s lynx. “She played in her office. One day, because I was so naughty at home, she took me,” he laughed.Young Narayanan, fascinated by moving pieces, wanted to play. “I asked if I could play too. She said,” Learn the moves first. “That happened to my goal: play next year,” recalled the Grand Master, who was nine at that time.
Vote
What aspect of chess is the most demanding for players?
“In the tournament hall, the rated player noticed my interest and suggested to my mother that I should get the right training.” This random meeting at this office tournament led him to P Sreekumar, a former state champion to become his first coach.Unlike some contemporaries who relied on parents to prepare, Narayanan found his own way. “I learned through books, a little like Gukesh, but not so extreme. As long as I didn’t GM, I stayed away from the chess engines. I believed you had to think separately. But later I realized as a professional work of the engine.”
Financial rope
Chess in India has seen more sponsorship in recent years, but Narayanan’s journey was not easy on this front.“I haven’t had a permanent sponsor for a long time. Once, Kris GoPalakrishnan of Infosys financed my trip to Turkey. When I created an Olympics team, AICF gave me RS 12 lakh, which I fully used for training.
“Crickets aren’t cattle …”: Harish Thawani on IPL and Indian cricket business
It is a reminder that while the sport has grown, the support of players differs wildly. “In Tamil Nadu, the government supports players brilliantly. Grandmasters are recognized, successful are rewarded. Motivates players. But in other countries, not only mine, this support is missing. I hope that young players need encouragement.”
Battle outside the album
For the last two years, Narayanan has tested as no opponent. “It’s hard to determine, but my performance has really decreased over the last two years. It’s not that my chess force will be reduced. Other players have improved quickly and keeping a step meant to work extremely hard, which I did. I just couldn’t understand what was happening, and it was frustrating. “When I was 24 or 25 years old, I was around 2700, which is quite frustrating to see how I dropped over the last three years. But as I said if there was a clear decrease in the quality of my games, I consider it a serious problem. Go your way, sometimes not.”Also read: Bangladesh chess player deported from India; 80 -year -old legend Rani Hamid “disturbed” by events at the airport in DelhiBut the fire is still burning. At the age of 27, Narayanan is not ready to give up. “I still want to play another two or three years. I believe I can return if I keep my mental approach strong and still look forward.”And when he left the playing hall, the head held high despite disappointment, you can say: SL Narayanan is far from ready with the game she loves.In chess, as in life, the return is always harder and always sweeter.
