‘Road to a World Chess Title’: Amateur champion’s book tells how chess can flourish in Punjab

Tell us about yourself

I am 41 and belong to a middle-class family in Ludhiana. I am a sports-loving, fitness freak and follow various sporting events around the world. I have been playing chess since 1996 with moderate success. My biggest win came when I won the World Amateur Chess Championship in Italy in 2018 right before my planned retirement from playing chess. The win encouraged me to play for some more years. I have been playing actively till now and won an international tournament in Spain in October last year.

What is your book about?

My book ‘Road to a World Chess Title’ is a comprehensive guide through my memoirs, games and exercises. In it, I share my experience of years of playing chess in a bid to help young chess players. The book covers my journey from 1996 to 2018, followed by my 30 best games against masters or higher-ranked players analysed in detail. There are about 128 chess exercises as well.

I won the Punjab state chess championship in the senior category in 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2015. I won many tournaments organised in various parts of the country and in neighbouring countries. The biggest cash prize I got in India was Rs 50,000 that I won in the Muzzafarpur Under-2200 tournament in 2013. In my first international participation, I won the World Amateur Championship (Under-2300 category) 2018 in Italy. The best reward for it was that I was invited to play in the Champion of Champions St Joseph’s Cup in Hong Kong at their national chess federation’s expense. There I won my biggest prize of US dollar 4,000. Then I won the 7th National Amateur Title in Jalandhar in November 2018. In October 2022, I won the Calvia Amateurs Open (below 2350) in Spain and ended in the fifth position in the World Amateur Championship 2022 U-2300 in Malta.

What challenges did you face?

There were many challenges in my journey, including lack of chess tournaments and chess coaching in our state. I have travelled to south India many times to play tournaments. That required time and money. The coaching in chess was expensive. I practised without any formal coaching. I did not have an easy career. I had to do a tough low-standard job in Delhi from 2005 to 2012 to continue my playing career. I was dejected after getting no recognition from the state or central government or our national federation even after I won the world title. I did not highlight this as I did not want to discourage other chess players. Hope my book can show the road to many chess players to win titles and I wish all the best to upcoming players.

How can chess flourish in Punjab?

We have to learn from the south Indian states. They have been improving their chess regularly. First, we have to increase the number of players and then we can think of the quality of players. For this, we need to organise chess tournaments of different levels regularly. The government should appoint chess coaches in the sports department. Performing players should get financial support at the right time.

We need to set examples by rewarding our best-performing players, but at present, the champions are ignored and that gives out a negative message. The political issues prevailing in the state association are responsible for the dip in chess standards in the state. We need to come out of it at the earliest. School games organised by the education department need to follow FIDE rules for conducting tournaments, but unfortunately, the department has its own set of fixtures, knockouts that discourage players. The education department and state chess association should work in coordination for the betterment of the game.

How do you de-stress?

I participate in marathons, go to the ground for some fresh air and sit there idle for some time. I also watch movies and live matches for relaxation. Besides, I like playing and watching table tennis, football, hockey and cricket.

Advice for young players

My advice for young chess players is to practice consistently and work hard, keep yourself physically and mentally fit to achieve your goals. Be prepared and brave enough to face different challenges in life.