Arjun Erigaisi’s historic leap past the 2800 Elo rating in classical chess and D. Gukesh’s emergence as the youngest World Championship challenger has propelled Indian chess to unprecedented heights. Add R. Praggnanandhaa’s run to the World Cup final in 2023 and the historic double gold in the Budapest Olympiad this year make it even more special.

As Viswanathan Anand’s brightest proteges continue to make their mark on the global stage, the legendary five-time World Champion shared his thoughts in an exclusive conversation with Sportstar. Anand delved into Arjun’s remarkable rise, the evolving chess landscape, and the challenges and innovations shaping the sport, including Gukesh’s collaboration with mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton.

Excerpt:

Q. Arjun became only the second Indian after you to cross 2800, the youngest Indian, and the third youngest ever after Alireza Firouzja and Magnus Carlsen. How would you summarise the magnitude of this achievement?

For me, this fixation on a number obscures the point. Had he stopped at 2799, would it be any less impressive? What stands out is the journey. He started the year almost 80 points behind and climbed steadily, navigating high-stakes tournaments with razor-thin margins for error.

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Arjun lost one game in the Bundesliga against a young Turkish prodigy by pushing too hard, and it cost him nine rating points—that’s the margin of error he works with. Most days, he wins and gains just one point or even less. Losing a game could set him back by nine. It’s like one step back equals nine steps forward.

The way he’s done it, with such consistency and single-minded focus, is what makes it so impressive. Yes, crossing 2800 places him in an elite group, but it’s the path he took to get there that really stands out.

Q. What makes Arjun special?

Arjun is trying this new approach of really raising the stakes in every game. He provokes a struggle, sometimes even accepting an inferior position, essentially telling his opponent, ‘Let’s solve problems on the board, and I’m confident I’ll do it better than you.

It’s a high-risk, high-reward strategy. When it works, it’s brilliant. But when it doesn’t, it can go badly wrong. Even so, he’s been testing the boundaries of chess in almost every game.

Nonetheless, it is quite striking that he’s even leading the FIDE Circuit leaderboard, so his approach stands out. It has been quite unique and there are other players who also try to do it but in a more slow and steady fashion. Certainly, you can say that Gukesh also takes a fair amount of risk as well, but Arjun is really pushing the limits of that. He plays almost provocative setups in every game. I don’t know how long this can last. Eventually, people will react to this and maybe when they play against him, they’ll only prepare for this kind of stuff.

Q. Does Arjun’s ability to adapt in shorter time formats give him an edge over Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, and Praggnanandhaa?

Arjun’s style doesn’t change much across formats, but this year, I feel all of them have prioritised classical chess. It’s like they all want to show their chops there and then. They seem focused on excelling in this format, even if their results in rapid and blitz, particularly in the Grand Chess Tour, haven’t been exceptional. Maybe things will change by the end of the year.

Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, and Arjun seem to have made up their mind that they want to do exceedingly well in classical chess, which is nice because they have all the time in the world to try different things and they have shown impressive progress.

Praggnanandhaa was very similar to Arjun and he has also gone near 2800. Gukesh has also been very impressive. Pragg has struggled a bit more, but I think his attitude is completely correct. He is pushing, pushing, pushing and I feel in the end this will have to pay off.

Q. As FIDE’s Deputy President, how do you address concerns that qualifying for the Candidates has become too complicated, particularly with the FIDE Circuit rating?

I still think so. What we try to do is broaden the number of players who would have a realistic chance and the FIDE circuit was the one way to bring in the Open tournaments and give a broader base of players a chance to think. But it’s true that things have turned out differently and then you have to adapt to the system. I don’t think it’s a big deal. We will keep tinkering with the system, but I still like the fact that we have a FIDE circuit, which involves so many tournaments.

If you look at it, the qualification for the World Cup is fairly democratic and in an open tournament, a lot of people get a chance. The Grand Swiss as well, have tried to move in this non-invitational way. Slightly out of that Invitational frame into broader categories.

But there were things we couldn’t anticipate or we didn’t fully appreciate like that tournaments would be held only to get FIDE circuit ratings. It’s not like we didn’t realise it would happen, but it will be this obvious we could not realise. But I think these are problems that can be fixed. So for the moment, I hope we will be able to keep improving the program.

Q. With tournaments like the Chennai Grandmasters and Tata Steel Chess India, do we need more invitational events to elevate chess in India?

It’s fantastic that Chennai and Kolkata now host prestigious tournaments. These events, especially ones like Tata Steel Chess India with Carlsen’s participation, are excellent for the game’s growth.

Open tournaments are practical, but Chennai’s addition of a Challengers section is commendable — it gives more players opportunities to shine. India now has many young players in the 2650–2700 range who can benefit from these formats.

As Indian chess continues to grow, round-robin events and initiatives like the Global Chess League will be crucial in making the game more accessible and popular.

Q. Freestyle chess has gained attention recently, with tournaments like the one in Weissenhaus. What’s your take on this trend?

I’m thrilled about these developments. Events like the Global Chess League, supported by Tech Mahindra, are promising for the sport.

Freestyle chess introduces a fresh dynamic to the game, and I’m looking forward to participating in the Weissenhaus event next year. These initiatives are great for chess, expanding its reach and appeal.

Q. Cheating in chess is a persistent issue, with allegations involving players like Kiril Shevchenko and Daniel Naroditsky. Can it ever be fully addressed?

It is going to be an arms race. I still want to believe that our current measures are effective, as they’ve caught offenders, but the challenge is ongoing.

Because this is a technological issue, we must constantly update our methods. While it’s speculative to gauge how widespread cheating is, we can’t ignore its perception as a threat. Maintaining control is critical for the integrity of the game.

Q. Gukesh recently teamed up with Paddy Upton, a renowned mental conditioning coach. Considering Ding Liren’s struggles in this area, how do you see this matchup shaping up?

Psychology will undoubtedly play a crucial role. Both players will pay close attention to this aspect, and its impact will become clear as the match unfolds.