In the span of eight months, the variety of Indians who’ve defeated the world’s finest chess participant, Magnus Carlsen, has swelled from two to 5. Before 2022, solely Viswanathan Anand and P Harikrishna had achieved the duty of outwitting the reigning five-time world champion. Now, the teenager trio of R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and D Gukesh may lay declare to that feat.

Praggnanandhaa, 17, has defeated the Norwegian thrice; Erigaisi, 19, and Gukesh, 16, notched up their maiden victories over the world champion on the Aimchess Rapid event in October. By doing so, they provided probably the most resounding proof of their readiness to problem the world’s high gamers.

“I think the significance [of the results] is for their self-confidence,” Anand, who has had many intriguing battles with Carlsen, stated. “They have seen that even against the best player in the world, someone against whom it is very difficult to snatch a point, they can do it. That is the positive message they should take away. It doesn’t matter if it’s rapid chess or anything else. It is just as hard to beat him in rapid as in any other time control.”

While an intrinsic aptitude for chess is a standard issue serving to them examine vital milestones of their teenagers, there are refined variations within the taking part in kinds of the three younger gamers, and their preferences in assault and defence make for an attention-grabbing comparability.

So, which format do they like probably the most? What are their go-to opening strikes? How do they deal with stress in an endgame with the clock ticking down?

Favourite codecs

“Gukesh has been very focused on classical chess. It’s clearly his top priority. He only plays these rapid (10 minutes to 60 minutes) and blitz events (less than 10 minutes) if they do not clash with commitments in classical events,” stated Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan, who was the coach of the India A group that completed fourth on the forty fourth Chess Olympiad in Mahabalipuram in August.

“Praggnanandhaa, on the other hand, has been popular primarily because of his exploits in the Champions Chess Tour, which is an online rapid tournament. I think Praggnanandhaa hasn’t played as many classical games as the other two. So far, he has done much better in this format than in classical.” Srinath added that he believes “it is only a matter of time” earlier than Praggnanandhaa begins doing effectively in classical chess too.

As far as codecs go, Erigaisi doesn’t appear to have a transparent favorite. “Arjun has been balanced. He’s been playing a lot of classical chess and has been active and consistent in all the different online rapid tournaments. He’s a bit more balanced comparatively,” Srinath stated.

This is clear from the ELO scores of those three gamers within the classical format. While Gukesh and Erigaisi crossed the hallowed mark of 2700 earlier this 12 months, Praggnanandhaa’s ranking is 2678.

Different kinds

Anand believes that the kinds of the three gamers are always evolving. “There are small variations. Arjun is the closest to a universal style, whereas Pragg and Gukesh lean heavily towards aggressive positions. Arjun is probably the most positional of the lot. He likes playing a mixture of quiet positions and aggressive moves. But they are all working on all aspects,” stated Anand.

Srinath cites Gukesh’s current victory over Carlsen, in 29 strikes, to underline the participant’s largest energy. It appeared as if the Norwegian was on his solution to a routine win 25 strikes into the sport, solely to stumble right into a cleverly-laid lure for his queen.

“In terms of technical aspects, I think Gukesh is incredibly resourceful. That’s his USP,” stated Srinath. “He’s very good at detecting a lot of things that escape the eye of others. You saw that happen with Magnus as well. He was doing really well in the game against Gukesh. Magnus overlooked that his queen was getting trapped. It was game over for him after that. It might seem like luck, but it’s not.”

Srinath places this trait all the way down to Gukesh’s formative coaching. “He religiously stayed away from engines (in the initial years). That probably trained him in getting an insight into what can be difficult for humans even if it is not among the top moves recommended by engines. He throws opponents off-guard. It is not easy to understand Gukesh’s moves as easily as those of other top players.”

Praggnanandhaa, too, was saved largely away from engines throughout his youth by coach RB Ramesh. According to V Saravanan, an International Master from Chennai, Praggnanandhaa’s sport is all about dynamism.

“Pragg doesn’t bother much about material. He goes for activity. His play involves a little bit of gambling,” stated Saravanan, providing Praggnanandhaa’s sport towards Pranav Anand, one other teen Grandmaster, within the just lately concluded Asian championship and his maiden victory over Carlsen as examples.

“When the position became equal, the game seemed likely to end in a draw if it went on in a normal way. Pragg didn’t even bat an eyelid before sacrificing a pawn and going for activity. Most of his compensations are dynamic in nature. The very first time he beat Carlsen in blitz, that’s what he did. He went for a very dynamic position. Of course, Carlsen blundered and lost the game.”

Another characteristic of Praggnanandhaa’s sport is his unflappable temperament . India’s match towards Azerbaijan on the forty fourth Chess Olympiad in August is a working example.

“What has stood out recently is his incredible calmness in critical situations under time pressure,” noticed Srinath. “There was this game in the Olympiad against Azerbaijan where the match was pretty balanced. If Pragg didn’t win that game, India’s medal chances were done. They were down 1-2 and the position was bad for Pragg. While the opponent was tense and animated, Pragg was just completely calm and managed to outplay his opponent in a critical moment. It was a very important moment in India B winning a bronze medal.”

Saravanan considers Erigaisi to be “almost diametrically opposite” to Praggnanandhaa.

“Arjun is basically a positional player. He keeps his pieces at the right place. He plays correct chess. He sticks to principles. There is generally not a single piece misplaced…that kind of style. He is probably the best among the three in terms of calculation.”

Openings and finish video games

Chess gamers often dedicate intensive time to totally different opening preparations, understanding that it lays the muse that usually dictates how a sport pans out. You may very well be a grasp at wriggling out of advanced conditions within the endgame, however it counts for little in a sport between gamers of equal energy if the opening isn’t as much as scratch.

“One thing I can say is Pragg goes for sharp openings,” famous Saravanan. “In a dynamic opening, you keep the position open but within your control. That’s what Gukesh and Erigaisi do. Pragg goes for hand-to-hand combat straightaway. It means it can be hit and miss. For example, there is the Sicilian Najdorf, which is an extremely tactical opening. You cannot play by general instinct or understanding in such openings. You have to calculate like a machine.”

In basic, although, the younger crop of Indian GMs isn’t fixated on a selected opening system. That maybe units these gamers aside from the likes of Anand, Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi, who would look to grasp one system earlier than attempting one other.

All of them, in keeping with Srinath, have work to do on the endgame although.

“Everyone can get better in this aspect. Generally, so much attention is given to openings and middle games. Since they are quite young, they simply haven’t seen as many positions as someone older at the top level,” he stated.

Over the subsequent few years, as they proceed to evolve, their particular strategies and preferences are topic to vary. As lengthy as they’re able to maximise their potential although, Indians who get pleasure from their chess can sit again and relish what every of the three has to supply.