As you would be already knowing, there was a shock and awe in the world of chess after India put up a collective show of strength with their performance at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, on September 23, 2024. It was such a manifestation of overwhelming power and a spectacular display of force that even opponents were forced to say : “It was a landslide”. India swept all three team gold medals on offer—for the Open Section (Men’s category), Women’s category and the Overall Section—besides four precious individual gold medals. It was an unprecedented dominance at a Chess Olympiad. While some felt that “the axis of world chess has decisively tilted towards India”, Indian chess legend and five-time World champion Mr. Viswanathan Anand said, “It feels like a magical moment for India”.
India’s Open team, led by the prodigious talents of Gukesh D., Praggnanandhaa R., and Arjun Erigaisi, dominated the tournament. Their final-round victory, with a convincing 3.5-0.5 score, was a testament to their unwavering focus and competitive spirit. The Women’s team, featuring seasoned players like Harika Dronavally alongside rising stars like Divya Deshmukh, secured their gold with a crucial win in the final round, amassing 19 match points. No less significant were the four individual golds won by Gukesh, Erigaisi, Divya and Vantika Agrawal. Though senior players like P. Harikrishna, 38, and Vidit Gujrathi, 29, also played a crucial role, winning gold medals, the story belonged to Indian chess prodigies who have made the world sit and take notice of them in recent years. Gukesh, 18 and Arjun, 21, are already in the Top 10 of the FIDE Live World Ratings, at 5th and 3rd, respectively, while Praggnanandhaa is just outside at 12th. India’s inspiring chess story has an arc that began when Viswanathan Anand became India’s first grandmaster in 1988. Since then, the country has come a long way. India now has 85 grandmasters. Anand’s legendary success has an undeniable imprint on the triumph of the current generation. Besides his broader influence, India’s three most promising prodigies Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun—are products of the Westbridge Anand Chess Academy (WACA), an initiative by Anand to nurture young talents.
I purposely draw your attention to India’s chess story because success in the game comes with certain skills that are equally crucial to triumph in your pursuit of excelling in UPSC CSE and other competitive examinations. Chess has two fundamental aspects: analysis and strategy. Both combine nine skills—visualisation, calculation, evaluation, pruning, planning, adaption, pattern recognition, prophylaxis or prevention, and an eye for error. Visualisation is the art of seeing the relationship between the pieces after every move is made. Good visualisation is when you follow a game without needing a board. Calculation is purely a logical function for assessing and creating tactics. Evaluation has two sides to it: static and dynamic. In static evaluation, you assign a value to the current situation, while dynamic evaluation involves seeing the possibilities of a fluid situation. Pruning is a bit of an art of narrowing down the potential moves to only those that need to be probed. Planning is always better than no planning; it is true about chess as much as about other fields. But plans face challenges; hence, the ability to adapt and rethink your plan on the fly is the key. Pattern recognition helps players carefully choose their moves and guide them on a path of winning ideas. Playing with prophylaxis is playing from the opponent’s point of view and finding the move most damaging to his/her potential plan. Finally, an eye for error nudges you not only to check yourself before deciding on a move but also to be alert and aware of the opponent’s errors to capitalise on them.
You are intelligent enough to know how to develop and apply these skills to achieve your desired success in the UPSC CSE or other competitive examinations. Besides, victorious chess players are also known for their high quality of focus, confidence and self-belief. A few days before a tournament, they almost enter a zone where nothing can distract them. They always calculate their moves so much in advance that they usually have plenty of time left on their clock. They put a lot of energy on the board. They take calculated risks and play for wins. Their overall attitude is the strength that makes them outstanding.
With these words, I wish you success in all your endeavours.
