The Chess Prodigy – Nihal Sarin

Simon Williams rightly quoted, “The beauty of chess is it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender, and socioeconomic background.” Well, the little master of the 64 squares game, Nihal Sarin, is an absolute example of Williams’ quote. The chess prodigy is an 18 years old Keralite boy from India who achieved the 12th youngest grandmaster title in August 2018. He is India’s 53rd Grandmaster, currently ranked 171 globally, and the list continues.

Reflecting on his childhood, Nihal spent his initial years in Kottayam, along with his parents, who are doctors. The chess journey started when his father gifted this little boy of 6 years a chess board to spend time on during summer vacations. Grandfather taught the basic rule, which began the chess coaching at home, and then there was no looking back. Chess became a crucial and inseparable part of life. The formal training started with Mathew P. Joseph Pottoore, the school’s chess coach, who taught the game with instructions and a vision to win. From 2013-2015 he trained under E.P. Nirmal, who nurtured him from a raw talent to a rising player, and Srinath Narayanan gave further training from 2016 to the present.

In 2011, Nihal won in the Under-07 category at the Kerala State Championship. In addition, he also won the Under-09 category title, the Under-11 category title, and Under-15 the Sub-Junior category title. Further, at age 10, he simultaneously played against 112 players of all age categories and won all games. The same year he was invited as a guest participant to the famous Malayalam T.V. quiz show to spread enthusiasm about the game among children of his age. He became the National under-09 champion in 2013 at Chennai. Further, the National Under-11 Bronze medalist in 2014 at Puri and the National Under-11 Silver medalist in 2015 at Pondicherry. By winning these events, he made his place among the well- know champions of chess. 

Not only national, but instead, he represented India at the global level also. In 2013, at the World Blitz Championship, this little boy made a mark on the International stage of chess by winning gold in the Under-10 category in Al-Ain. Further, he got his first break in the 2014 World Youth Chess Championship. He scored 9/11, which made him crowned the Under-10 World Champion, for which he was conferred the Candidate Master title by FIDE. In the following years, he won many National as well as International Titles under different categories, making him a youth icon.

He says he spends at least four hours refining his skills by playing random online games, even though he doesn’t plan any schedule but spends at least four hours practicing online. Akshayakalpa has also sponsored him to produce organic milk and milk-based products with the rural-entrepreneurship-based business model. Since chess is an expensive sport in the international arena, so the sponsorship has been a boon for the boy. He was also awarded National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement by President Pranab Mukherjee in 2016.

Chess is an affordable sport. Children often start playing as hobby games, but their seriousness and passion for the game can lead them to achieve wonders. Chess home tutors can train and nurture the kids in the initial years and will help them meet success step by step. Thus, allowing them to pursue a career in this intelligent sport.