Winning the grandmaster title is a landmark in every chess player’s career. It is more than a mere seal of approval from Fide for completing three GM norms and crossing an Elo rating of 2,500. The sense of belonging a GM feels among the elite of the mind game is more important than any other benefit the title brings along.
At 17, Chennai boy S.P. Sethuraman is India’s youngest GM now after he completed his third norm with a title to boot in a tournament in Poland two months ago. “I took a long time to achieve my second norm but the final arrived without delay. It was the moment I felt I had achieved something in my career. Besides, the GM title has done wonders to my confidence,” he said.
Sethu didn’t even have time to celebrate the momentous occasion with his parents and younger brother, also a chess player, at home. He stayed in New Delhi after his return from Poland to take part in the Premier championship, the blue ribbon domestic event.
The first-year commerce student of SRM College used the GM momentum to surge ahead in the Premier tournament. Sethu was in sole lead after winning his first three rounds. But the second half wasn’t so spectacular. A poor set of results pushed him to the 13th spot on the final table. “I had finished second the previous year, so I had set a higher target at Delhi. Thirteenth place was a big disappointment,” he added.
For Sethu, failures aren’t lessons only on books. “I’m aware than my CV will always have a huge hole without a national title. My poor show in Delhi has steeled my resolve further. I have no doubt that I will claim the title sooner than later,” he said.
The youngster’s next big target for 2011 is taking his rating to 2,650 from 2,550. The leap is a lot tougher because Sethu, as a GM, has to accumulate points from quality fields. He will also be marked man in various tournaments because of his achievements at a young age.
Sethu is gearing up for the Chennai Open, a GM tournament starting from January 18. All eyes will be on him, as he will be playing in his backyard for the first time after becoming India’s 24th GM. Viswanathan Anand is a beacon to all chess players, amateurs as well as professionals, in India. A few years ago Sethu had the honour of being singled out as a promising talent by the multiple world champion himself. The 2009 U-16 world champion has not let Anand down. There is more to come from the prodigy, who counts his father, S. Panaiappan, as an inspiration.
“It is a bonus that teaching chess is my father’s profession. He first taught me chess when I was four years old. I continue to learn from him. Parents who know chess are known to put pressure on their children for results. In my case, there is only gain, no pain,” Sethu said.