Bengaluru: We are transitioning through a time of dwindling attention spans. In sport too, there is a need for faster progressing action within a reduced time frame. Shorter formats, new rules and glitzy leagues that call for constant reinvention are popping up across sports, and chess is no exception.
In addition, you have a crop of talented youngsters going face to face with the old guard and even outperforming them. At such a juncture, Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy is charting her own course to return to the sharp end.
More tournaments have resulted in greater opportunities to pick up precious ranking points, and this also calls for swift adaptation across formats.
Humpy opted to skip the Chess Olympiad, but outlined that the decision was due to personal reasons. She did admit that the current schedule is packed.
"Sometimes the schedule is quite hectic, but it is common in chess. We have a lot of tournaments every year. For youngsters it is easy to participate in all the tournaments. Particularly for the Olympiad, I had some personal reasons to back out. I had to stay back at home to look after my mother, otherwise I would have loved to play for the country," Humpy told DH.
With four Indians in the top 12 of the open world rankings and D Gukesh set to challenge Ding Liren in the World Championship, chess has created a buzz across the nation.
"It is a big time for India. (R) Praggnanandhaa, Arjun (Erigaisi) and (D) Gukesh are among the top ten (12) in the world, so that is a huge thing. Not in many sports we find three Indians in the top ten rankings. It is quite rare," Humpy said.
While Indian chess players tend to do exceedingly well in the traditional format, the performance dips in rapid and blitz events. Humpy, a world rapid chess champion in 2019, attributed this to a lack of practice and better exposure for players from other nations.
"The biggest difference is that Russian players especially get a lot of exposure in blitz tournaments and shorter time-control events. They have weekend tournaments in their cities and play it regularly, just like a fun tournament. For them, playing rapid or blitz is quite normal but for us, you need to practice a lot before the tournament to do that. I think that is the main reason for not having great results."
Humpy, who became a Grandmaster in 2002, stressed on the need for more corporate support and PR teams for the sport to progress further in India.
"Chess in India always had a lot of following, but only difference is that we did not have to corporate support earlier. From the last few years, corporates have started to support chess players and sponsor them. But still, compared to other sports, it is less.
"Especially in India we need more PR teams to promote the players. We have lots of talent, many players who are winning prestigious events, but this has to reach the corporate level and that is how it would change. Unless someone is really passionate and has knowledge about the game, they can't follow the sport. That is the biggest drawback. But with the shorter time controls, we are trying to get more spectators."
Currently ranked 442, the 37-year-old from Vijayawada outlined her plans and mentioned the tournaments she has planned to participate in.
"I am going to play the Global Chess League, the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Kazakhstan and Tata Steel in Kolkata.
"My first motto is to qualify for the candidates since I have lost some rating points, it is crucial for me to perform well in these tournaments."
First on the agenda is the Global Chess League. Humpy, who will represent UpGrad Mumba Masters, was coy about the team's chances.
"GCL is not just about picking up the talent, it is more about attracting spectators towards chess. The format brings interest to the fans.
"Here every team is quite strong, we can't call favourites. As a team I am confident that we will do well. We have a good team spirit and are continuing with mostly the same team, only one replacement in the junior board," Humpy said.
Humpy revealed that her daughter Ahana has exhibited an interest towards art and not chess.
"My daughter has shown a lot of interest in art, no so much in chess. Even when I am practicing she keeps on drawing. I don't want to pressurise also, it is important to encourage kids in what they are interested in," she signed off.