For this chess champ, winning is a way of life

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You don’t have to be exceptionally brilliant to make your mark in a particular field.

But as they say, hard work always pays and the recent triumph of Arjun K., a talented chess player, stands testimony to this time-tested saying.

It was with little expectation, but with great will power, that the 18-year-old Arjun took part in the Honorouble B.S. Yediyurappa FIDE rated open chess tournament in Shimoga, alongside his coach and senior player K.R. Madhusoodanan.

The tournament lacked the glitz and glamour of a major event but was unique in its own way as a competition involving prominent players with FIDE rating below 2000. And Arjun had gone into the tourney, seeded 38th and hence was not tipped to have a fair run.

However, to the surprise of many, including his coach and former state champion, the teenager from Kozhikode emerged as the most successful candidate, remaining unbeaten in the 10 round tournament.

“I had not made any special preparations, but used to practise regularly, both against my friends and the computer. I worked a lot on various openings and I’m happy with the way things had gone,” says Arjun, who is a student of the Government Polytechnic College, Kozhikode.

The creamy side of Arjun’s fairytale performance in the Shimoga tournament, which is not one of the favourite competitions in the calendar, was that he knew right from the start that every opponent was beatable.

Coming into the tournament, Arjun had an elo rating of 1896 and his splendid show, including 8 wins and 2 draws has made him eligible for an increment of 58.7 in his FIDE rating. Also his performance rating was slated at 2221.

“The best thing about the tournament was that there were no hot favourites, though Madhusoo-danan sir and other senior players had a clear edge because of their experience,” says Arjun, who had won the State youth championship this year.

However, the former under-17 State champion, who started playing at the age of 8, conceded that his 9th round tie against Karthik V. of Andhra Pradesh was a little tough and remaining games were simply a ‘piece of cake’.

Arjun is the son of Mohanan and Latha. His two elder sisters Megha and Vyga, who was a chess champion in her college, are his motivation, said Arjun. The recent win has given a great boost to this promising player, who is an ardent fan of Kasparov and Anand.

His dream run has certainly impressed his mentor Madhusoodanan who was all praises to his trainee. “I’m impressed with the way he played. He showed great discipline and was devoid of nervousness. He has a good future in the game,” he says.