Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram was in the form of his life during the 22nd Dubai Open which concluded on Sunday. The 22-year-old, who won the tournament with 7.5 points from 9 rounds, spoke to TOI on the importance of the victory, taking inspiration from the young guns like R Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and others and more. Excerpts:
At what point did you feel that you would be a serious contender for the title?
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to win the tournament. At no point did I feel that I would go on to win the title. My plan was to be solid in my preparation and make every opportunity count. I am quite happy with how the tournament went and this is the biggest win of my career.
Your long-time coach RB Ramesh felt this win will give you a lot of confidence going forward. Your take on that…
This title win couldn’t have come at a better time for me. My confidence levels weren’t very high. The year 2021 was disastrous for me as I didn’t produce the results I expected myself to. It was important for me to get my confidence back and I am hopeful that this win will do that.
Is there anything specific you have worked on in recent times?
I think at the start of the pandemic in 2020 --- I took things a little easy. I wish I hadn’t done that. I was definitely training but somewhere down the line --- the intensity was lacking. I soon realised that chess is my life and I should give it my all. Here, I must thank Ramesh sir for having backed me through thick and thin. He has been my sounding board and his constant guidance have worked wonders for me.
You have trained alongside the likes of Praggu and other youngsters for years now. What’s your dynamic with them?
Be it Praggu, Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, Arjun or the other youngsters ---- they inspire me. The one thing that I admire about the younger lot is their fearlessness. The ability to play your game irrespective of the opponent is something we all can learn from our younger bunch. This trait will hold them in good stead in the future.
Unlike the younger lot who play tournaments round the year, we don't see you that often. Is there a particular reason for that?
I prefer to spend a considerable amount of time in my preparations. I pick and choose tournaments, and that’s a reason you wouldn’t see me playing in a lot of events. I decided to be part of the Dubai Open because it’s such a strong field. To be taking on some of the finest players was a challenge I was looking forward to.
Are there tournaments you plan to be part of in the coming weeks?
I would like to be part of the Asian championships to be held in New Delhi next month. I believe there will be strong players featuring in it and playing alongside them will be fun.
