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?
