Aravindh Chithambaram is rated by India’s most profitable chess coach R.B. Ramesh because the nation’s most gifted participant since Viswanathan Anand. He started properly sufficient, and got here up with some unbelievable performances, however, in a while, was overshadowed by a bunch of different Indian prodigies that took world chess by storm. Over the past couple of years, Aravindh has lastly proven what he’s able to: final 12 months, he rose to World No. 11. There’s time nonetheless for the 26-year-old to do even higher. Excerpts from an interview:
You completed runner-up on the Prague Chess Competition earlier this 12 months. You had received that occasion in 2025. That was among the best performances of your profession…
The victory at Prague will stay tremendous particular for me. It was such a robust match, with gamers like Anish Giri, Vincent Keymer, Wei Yi and R. Praggnanandhaa. There’s this award for the perfect sport in each spherical, and I wished to get it much more than the victory. And I lastly acquired the award for the perfect sport of the match — for the one towards Anish. I used to be near profitable the title at Prague this 12 months, too. The usual of my chess was truly good this time as properly.
You latterly turned the primary Indian to qualify for this 12 months’s Esports World Cup, to be held in Paris in August.
Esports is a big alternative for all of the skilled gamers like me. Occasions like these are essential for gamers who make a dwelling out of chess. I’m completely satisfied that chess can be now a part of the Esports neighborhood. It’s getting larger and larger, and it’s good to see that. Over the past two years, I’ve been attempting to focus each on over-the-board tournaments and on-line occasions. And I’m glad that I’ve been in a position to do it.
Aravindh believes Esports might carry new followers to chess.
| Picture Credit score:
Particular Association
Do you suppose chess might turn into much more mainstream by being a part of Esports and will get new followers?
Sure, lots of people now recognise me due to S8UL Esports [the team he represents].
The primary turning level of your profession was the Chennai Grandmaster Open match, which was held as a sidelight of the World Championship in 2013. You started because the 53rd seed however received the match forward of 21 Grandmasters, on the age of 14.
Sure, and I additionally secured my first Grandmaster norm, earlier than making even a single IM norm.
And your ranking efficiency was 2728, whereas your Elo ranking was 2335.
Chennai has at all times been fortunate for me, I really feel. It was my first massive match win. And you understand, in 2024, I received the Chennai Grand Masters, which modified my life fully. I didn’t have any expectations. It was such a robust match with so many sturdy gamers. I solely wished to not end final; that was the purpose mainly. However issues turned out in another way, you understand, after I received my sport towards Arjun [Erigaisi]. Successful the match mattered loads. As a result of my profession had been a bit stagnant until that time.
True. Expectations had been fairly excessive after you caught the eye of the chess world at a really younger age. You had received the Nationwide Beneath-19 Championship while you have been 12. Your coach Ramesh has mentioned some massive issues about you.
In some unspecified time in the future, perhaps I didn’t have any objectives. And my mindset had modified a bit.
How did you come out of that state of affairs?
I began doing issues like placing in additional effort than typical. I believe that made a distinction.
Aravindh surprised the chess world at 14, ending forward of 21 GMs on the Chennai Grandmaster Open.
| Picture Credit score:
R. Ragu
How a lot of an affect has Ramesh been in your life? He’s the one who took you to Chennai from Madurai.
Sure, I moved to Chennai to get coached by him. He has been an enormous help to me, not simply when it comes to chess. He was the one who acquired me sponsors that enabled me to play in tournaments overseas, and people occasions helped me safe my IM title. I keep in mind him posting about me on Twitter and folks from numerous international locations contributed. He additionally acquired me a scholarship.
And it isn’t straightforward for Indian gamers to enhance with out help, as there are hardly any elite tournaments in India. The Chennai Grand Masters is an exception. And that match was organised as a possibility for the likes of D. Gukesh and Arjun to struggle for the final accessible slot within the 2024 Candidates. Gukesh went on to win at Chennai, then the Candidates and the World title match towards Ding Liren.
Sure, that confirmed how such sturdy closed tournaments [instead of open events] might assist the Indian gamers attempting to interrupt into the highest tier of world chess. We want extra tournaments like that, little question about it. That can be a giant assist for a number of gamers like me in India. I’d additionally prefer to have an Indian championship with massive prize cash and all the highest gamers collaborating.
One thing just like the US Championship?
Sure. I’d like to play in such a Nationwide Championship in India.
And it might be nice from the advertising and marketing perspective as properly, a Nationals that may have all the perfect Indian gamers, together with Gukesh, Arjun, Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin. It could be a giant alternative for gamers such as you, S.L. Narayanan, V. Pranav, Leon Mendonca…
Certainly. With so many sturdy gamers in India, we must always have a Nationwide Championship like that.
On the Prague Competition, you defeated Gukesh, who hasn’t been in nice type for a while. Most individuals have now picked Javokhir Sindarov because the favorite in Gukesh’s World title match later this 12 months.
I believe we’d see an equal struggle in that match. Gukesh goes by means of a tricky time. However everybody might undergo such a part, and it’s a matter of time earlier than Gukesh will get his type again. But it surely requires numerous effort. And there’s loads of time for him to get again into form. I’m not stunned that Sindarov received the Candidates to earn the fitting to problem Gukesh. He had an excellent run on the World Cup in Goa [where he was the champion]. And he performed exceptionally properly within the Bundesliga, too.
And R. Vaishali can be taking part in the Girls’s World Championship match towards Ju Wenjun of China.
It could be an attention-grabbing problem for Vaishali. She has the potential to win the World title. That is her first World title match. She’s going to want a special type of mindset to play the World Championship match. I hope she manages to do this. It’s nice that an Indian is taking part in in each the World title matches.
Printed – Could 30, 2026 02:43 am IST
