Making of India's 91st GM: Battling financial troubles, 'negative emotions' | Exclusive

NEW DELHI: Not agelong ago, Nagpur-born Divya Deshmukh stunned the chess satellite with her sensational triumph astatine the Women’s World Cup. Having entered arsenic an International Master (IM), the 19-year-old outlasted everyone she faced, and arsenic she lifted the champion’s crown, she besides secured the coveted Grandmaster (GM) rubric successful 1 go.Usually, the way to the GM rubric demands years of grind: 3 GM norms, countless tournaments, and a FIDE standing of 2500. But definite continental and satellite events, recognised by FIDE, tin assistance the rubric directly. And Divya's lawsuit successful Batumi was a uncommon lawsuit of that.

Last week, 22-year-old Raahul VS from Chennai walked that aforesaid path. In the Philippines, helium clinched the 6th ASEAN Individual Open Chess Championship with a circular to spare, and with it, became India’s 91st GM.“I didn’t spot the effect myself due to the fact that it was inactive not uploaded,” Raahul told TimesofIndia.com from Malaysia, wherever helium is competing successful the Commonwealth Chess Championship. “My roommate called maine and informed me, ‘You conscionable became a GM.’ And I did not judge it for 20 minutes due to the fact that I was truthful anxious. I asked him to recheck 5 times astir the result, whether I americium becoming a GM oregon not. It’s really beauteous peculiar due to the fact that earning a nonstop rubric similar this isn’t a precise communal thing.

”Surely, it isn’t. Especially for idiosyncratic who had been chasing it for years.

A GM imagination agelong delayed

“I was rather amazed due to the fact that I already had 1 GM norm previously, but I was struggling to marque my different 2 norms,” Raahul recalled.“I missed astatine slightest 3 to 4 times this year. So I was hoping, okay, this is simply a precise bully accidental for me. I chose this tourney due to the fact that evidently if I win, I go a Grandmaster, but astatine the aforesaid time, I did not daydream a batch astir it.”

Raahul’s archetypal GM norm came backmost successful December 2021, erstwhile helium won the Asian Junior Championship successful Sri Lanka astatine a clip erstwhile the chess satellite was conscionable recovering from the tremors of the pandemic.

From a hyperactive kid to the nation's pride

Chess entered Raahul’s beingness not retired of ambition, but retired of his parents’ gentle effort to thatch their restless lad the creation of sitting still.“I started chess erstwhile I was astir six years old. It was not due to the fact that I was funny successful chess: I was a precise hyperactive kid, and my parents couldn’t clasp maine successful a azygous spot.

So they said, ‘Okay, you’re going to a chess academy. You’ll larn to beryllium successful 1 spot for much than 5 minutes'," helium laughed."They fundamentally forced maine to join. But the crippled seemed absorbing due to the fact that adjacent though we are sitting, determination are truthful galore things going on. And I began to instrumentality an involvement successful it and spent hours playing.”Raahul's begetter Vijayakumar runs a tiny operation institution and works arsenic a consultant, portion his parent Sharmila, a erstwhile teacher, is present a homemaker, dedicating her clip to caring for Raahul and his sister Darshini successful a humble Chennai household.

But down that humble manner laic the quiescent load of fiscal struggle.“Until the past 2 oregon 3 years, my household was not precise dependable financially,” helium revealed.“Chess is, successful general, a precise costly sport. Because of that, we had a batch of fiscal troubles. I besides started coaching connected the broadside due to the fact that I wanted to stitchery wealth for my tournaments alternatively of ever relying connected my parents.”Currently, Raahul is successful the last twelvemonth of his MBA astatine SRM University.

“My assemblage has been truly helpful,” helium said. “They fto maine play tournaments; attendance is not a occupation for me. MBA has been rather hard compared to my undergrad, but truthful acold I’ve been capable to bash good successful my exams and springiness clip to chess too.”

Fighting 'negative thoughts' for a agelong time

Besides the fiscal troubles, intelligence struggles, helium admits, were among the biggest hurdles successful his journey.“When I was young, I got my archetypal IM norm astatine the property of 14,” Raahul recalled.

“At that time, I had conscionable deed puberty, and I started getting a batch of antagonistic emotions. If I mislaid a game, I would get precise depressed and couldn’t beryllium affirmative astir myself. I’ve been dealing with it for a agelong clip due to the fact that successful chess, you person truthful galore emotions going on."Even erstwhile I became an IM, I wasn’t doing good mentally due to the fact that I had my ups and downs. But peculiarly successful 2025, I started focusing much connected my mentality, trying to actively amended my intelligence focus.

That’s the large happening I’ve flooded till now.”

Addressing the weaknesses

Raahul's existent manager GM Shyam Sundar M has known the chess prodigy since his teenage years. But adjacent talent, arsenic Shyam pointed out, needed tempering.“A large weakness of Raahul’s is that helium often plays precise fast, and the prime of his moves isn’t ever high,” Shyam told this website, recalling countless discussions astir controlling the clock.“When you play quickly, you can’t expect to find the champion moves each time, but successful his case, the velocity tended to beryllium much of a drawback than an advantage.

I’ve told him to dilatory down a bit; sometimes helium loses games successful conscionable an hour.”

What disquieted the manager more, however, were the one-move blunders that crept successful astatine important moments.“He tin play bully chess for 4 hours and past marque a azygous elemental blunder. It volition ruin each that hard work,” Shyam admitted. “So I kept emphasising 2 things: dilatory down erstwhile needed, and ever cheque for elemental blunders earlier you property the clock.”

The roadworthy ahead

Raahul, who trained nether RB Ramesh from the property of 9 to 19 and shared the committee with prodigies similar Vaishali, Praggnanandhaa, and Aravindh Chithambaram, knows that becoming a GM is conscionable 1 milestone.

“At the moment, I don’t truly person immoderate plan,” helium admitted with a smile. “Airports Authority of India has been sponsoring maine connected a yearly basis, but isolated from that, I don’t person immoderate fiscal enactment different than my coaching oregon prize money. Even successful this championship, I had to wage my ain way. I anticipation I get a sponsor successful the aboriginal truthful it becomes easier.” ALSO READ: Making of India's 90th GM Ilamparthi AR: Travelling unsocial astatine 16, MS Dhoni-esque hands, ailing member astatine home