The future of chess is in India: Aronian

It’s been hard to decipher United States’ chess Olympiad campaign so far. They won each of their first three rounds before a draw against Uzbekistan on Monday, with the assertiveness of a top-seeded team billed as overwhelming favourites palpably absent. Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Leinier Dominguez and Sam Shankland have all had their moments of indifference, and their victories have needed one of them to dig deep and bail them out.

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“So far, we are slowly getting into shape,” said world No 6 Aronian, who was held by Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev on Monday. “It is normal to be a bit relaxed when you are huge favourites. We have had some wake-up calls. We are more or less ready to fight now.”

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Aronian seems to agree that the top two Indian teams in the open section are well-placed to be in medal contention. “There is no guarantee that we are going to steamroll the event even though we have such strong players. Because everybody is fighting. It just takes one bad match for things to completely turn around. The Indian teams are very strong with so many talented players. The majority of people in the chess world know that the future of chess is in India,” he said.

The 39-year-old has been around the chess circuit for more than two decades now, witnessing the evolution of the game from close quarters. When he started out, the involvement of technology in chess must have been minimal.

“The dynamic has changed,” he explained, “With the help of computers, players become much stronger much earlier. I was feeling very proud when I became a Grandmaster at the age of 17. Nowadays, it is not really a big achievement.”

While this is an obvious advantage of technology’s growing role, there are drawbacks as well. According to Aronian, it hinders the liberty to experiment and find your own way as a chess player.

“Of course, engines have changed the game completely. I cannot say for the better. But it is a game we love and are willing to play. We are still trying to find openings that give us space to be creative. The problem is certain openings just became unplayable because of the computers. You can only draw from these openings, so you can never fight for a win. For me, personally, I like trying to be creative in openings. Nowadays, it is not so possible,” he said.

India’s youngsters – D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin in particular – have been earmarked as future top-10 players by many luminaries of the chess world. Aronian offered some words of wisdom for them too.

“The peak is much earlier nowadays. Some players peak at 16. What it takes is love for the game and diligent character and work. Generally, the players who pay attention to their tactical vision and study their classics are better than the rest. That is normally the trick to make the highest level,” he said.

‘Carlsen should not undermine the world championship title’

In response to Magnus Carlsen’s decision to not defend his world championship title next year, Aronian said: “I think the format is fine. I feel Magnus just got tired. It is normal. Despite there being no injuries in chess, you can get completely fatigued. He just wants to release the pressure and play. If he is honest and respects players who become world champions, I see it as a positive thing. If he is going to undermine the world championship title, it would be a negative for the world of chess.”

How does Aronian ensure that he stays fresh and motivated for the challenges ahead? “I am reminded every day that I am not a very good player. So I work on it,” he answered without a hint of self-deprecation. “In the first round here, my opponent played much better than me despite a lower rating. This is quite a big motivation.”

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