Grischuk.
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI
When Alexander Grischuk made his first go to to India, he was 17. He had arrived because the forty sixth seed for the World chess championship.
The Russian brought about a sensation, reaching the semifinal. He, nevertheless, went all the way down to Alexei Shirov (who would then lose within the remaining to Viswanathan Anand).
It took Grischuk one other 23 years to return to India, for the Tata Steel Chess India match in Kolkata. By that point, he had picked three World blitz titles, had been the World No. 3, and had grow to be solely the eighth participant in historical past to cross 2800 Elo factors in score.
He had additionally created an enormous fan-base not only for his fascinating model of play however for his sense of humour as properly. He didn’t converse a lot in Kolkata, however when he did, he made individuals giggle.
At the press convention, when he was requested in regards to the probabilities of R. Praggnanandhaa changing into the World champion, he additionally took the names of D. Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan. But he added, “There is also some weird guy called Magnus (Carlsen).”
Praggnanandhaa, who was sitting subsequent to him, broke into an enormous smile. Grischuk could not have smiled as a lot, however Grischuk had each motive to, final Saturday night at Kolkata’s National Library, the place he gained the blitz title of the Tata Steel match. At 39, he was the oldest participant of the match and he pushed behind him among the world’s greatest younger gamers.
Driving pressure
“I hate losing, and that is the main factor that keeps me still going,” Grischuk informed The Hindu. “I would rather stop playing completely than just be losing game after game.”
He isn’t stunned by India’s younger abilities taking the world by storm. “Because India has so many people and it is also the leading country in computers,” he stated. “I am more surprised by the emergence of Uzbekistan as a major force in world chess.”
He has nice regard for Anand. “I think Vishy is in the top five greatest players of all time (the others being Garry Kasparov, Carlsen, Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov),” he stated.
Looking again to the World championship in Delhi, he stated he had include no expectations. “I was more surprised with myself than anybody else,” he stated. “Among the things I remember from that tour is my visit to the Taj Mahal. It was incredible, grandiose.”
Source: www.thehindu.com
