Alexander Grischuk says India is the most promising country to dominate world chess

At the closing ceremony of the Tata Steel Chess India tournament in Kolkata last Saturday, Alexander Grischuk put on a Chicago Bulls cap shortly after receiving the winner’s trophy and cheque for the blitz event. “I had promised my son that I would wear this cap if I win something,” he said. “But I couldn’t win any in the last 10 tournaments.”

The Bhasha Bhawan auditorium at the National Library erupted with laughter. Grischuk is not just one of the world’s best players — of the last couple of decades — he is also one of the most popular. The 39-year-old is a former World No. 3 and has won the World blitz championship three times. He was only the eighth player in history to cross the 2800 mark in Elo rating.

Excerpts from an interview he granted The Hindu, a little after he put the Bulls cap on:

You caused quite a sensation on your maiden visit to India, back in 2000 for the World championship in New Delhi. You were 17 and seeded 46th in a strong field, but you reached the semifinals, exceeding all expectations.

I was more surprised than anyone else. I had no expectations whatsoever. I was just playing round after round. It was my first major success. I will remember that tournament forever. I also remember the visit to the Taj Mahal. It was incredible, grandiose.

What effect did your unexpected success have on your career?

It’s hard to say. Maybe it has played a negative role in my career because I became a bit of a star and it’s very bad for your play [at that age]. You get so much attention, especially undeserved attention. I mean, it’s not that I really achieved something special. It was just a knockout tournament [not the World championship cycle]. But still it was nice.

Anand went on to win that tournament.

I think Vishy is one of the top five players of all time. Let’s say the first place is shared at the moment between Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. Bobby Fischer would come in at No. 3. And there is a tie for the fourth and fifth places as well, between Anatoly Karpov and Anand.

When talent recognises genius: Grischuk feels Viswanathan Anand is ‘one of the five greatest players of all time’, an exclusive list that also features Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen, Bobby Fischer and Anatoly Karpov. | Photo credit: Getty Images

Like Anand, you too have been playing top-level chess for a long time.

Basically, I hate losing. That’s the main factor. I would rather stop playing completely than just be losing game after game, or having terrible tournament after terrible tournament.

You lost the Candidates final in 2011 to Boris Gelfand after eliminating favourites Vladimir Kramnik and Levon Aronian. The match against Gelfand was probably your best shot at being a World champion.

I have many regrets in my career, but that is not really one of them. I never really thought that I had any realistic chances, though when I qualified for the final, maybe I was a bit optimistic. But I felt even if I qualified for the World title match beating Gelfand, Vishy would be a huge favourite against me.

Indian chess has changed since you first came here.

I am not surprised by India’s success. Actually I was always expecting a lot from India because there is a huge population in India and also a huge interest in information technology. Chess is becoming more and more computerish. I am more surprised by the success of Uzbekistan. As for Russia, we are judged by the Soviet times when we were, by far, the number one. It would never be like that again. First of all, we are twice smaller than the USSR and we are competing with each other. Take, for example, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Aronian, Nodirbek Abdusattorov… We would still be very strong if we played as one country. Russia would never be the dominating force again — in the foreseeable future, at least.

So who do you see dominating world chess?

Now, the most promising country is India. It’s clear. As for India’s four top young players [D. Gukesh, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin], I think when it comes to their strength, they are very close. Even if I feel that someone is slightly, very slightly, better than the others, that will change within a couple of months. Apart from India, I think Uzbekistan could also dominate world chess.

You have been a dominant figure in speed chess. You have won the World blitz title three times. Which among them means the most to you?

The last one in Berlin [2015]. It came completely unexpectedly. I had played the rapid championship extremely badly. And then on the first day of the blitz, I was playing very badly. Then somehow I ended my campaign with eight points out of nine games, beating Magnus, among others. I think it’s by far my biggest achievement in my career.

The first one, in 2006, must have also been special.

Yes, it was just a one-day event. So it was more like bullet chess. I mean, it just started and almost immediately it finished.

What is your earliest memory of chess?

My very first tournament, in Moscow. I scored 19 points out of 19 rounds [winning all games]. It was a beginners’ tournament. I was six then. I remember I was playing a kid and I was on something like 13 out of 13 and he was on 12 out of 13. I beat him and he started to cry. I think his father promised him something if he didn’t lose against me. I was very well aware that it was a beginners’ tournament. Of course I didn’t have a result like that after that. The closest was my 14 wins from 19 games in the Moscow Blitz championship. That wasn’t a beginners’ tournament. There were a lot of very decent Grandmasters like Alexander Morozevich.

You played quite well at the blitz event here in Kolkata, too. At the closing ceremony, you thanked your ‘secret coach’ and the rapid champion here, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, with whom you played blitz before the tournament. What else helped you win this event ahead of players many of whom are half your age?

I was swimming every day. I was doing some sports. Also I was washing my head before each game with cold water. That also helped.

Comic relief: Grishchuk’s dry wit has a fan base of its own among chess lovers. ‘Sometimes you are in situations where you can either cry or laugh. And I would rather laugh,’ he says about his sense of humour. | Photo credit: Debasish Bhaduri

You are loved by your fans for your sense of humour. Does it help when you go through a bad patch?

Sometimes you are in situations where you can either cry or laugh. And I would rather laugh. Yes, humour helps.

So how long has the Chicago Bulls cap been with you?

I don’t know, maybe for one year. My son is a fan of the Chicago Bulls.