64SquareTales

GM Karthikeyan Murali "It was in the year 2006/07 when my dad went through an operation. It was a tricky situation, where I felt sad for him as he couldn't go for the work but was happy that we could spend some time together. As doctor insisted him to stay home for few days, we indulged ourselves into some board games. Ludo, snake and ladder and of course, chess. My dad taught me all the rules of the game and immediately I found it interesting. In other games luck played a major role but in chess it was purely cognizance and calculation. After knowing the basic know-how of the game, I asked him whether the game was famous? He then told me the story of Vishwananath Anand. His story and games fascinated me and I started developing a liking towards the game. It soon became a part of my day to day life. Chess built my character, it helped me in concentrating better at any task I do. It helped my decision making as well. Being totally into chess, studies was a task fo...

Woman Grand Master Srija Seshadri "Chess has built my character. Whatever I have learnt from chess, I try to apply it in my life too."  As a kid she would go for swimming classes, but that didn't interest her much. Once, when her dad was dropping her, they saw an advertisement for a chess class next to the swimming class. Her dad inquired about it and enrolled her in it. Next day, the moment she entered, she felt attracted to the chess pieces. Few months later she participated in a local tournament and won it. She started taking formal coaching in 2008 and went on to win Nationals U-11 Girls. It was when she won Asian Youth in 2012, Delhi that she started taking chess seriously. Her parents have been supportive and her mom would almost always accompany her for tournaments. For her, Chess is thrilling and she enjoys it a lot.

International Master Krishna Teja "Chess has taught me a lot in life. It has shaped me in better person, taught me how to deal with difficulties and never giving up.  Also I get to travel and know about different cultures." His mom wanted to inculcate different hobbies in him, while his dad wanted him to play a sport. He took a few music lessons and his dad taught him basics of chess. Later he developed a liking towards the game and started playing tournaments. He didn't take chess seriously until the year 2012, when he increased 200 Elo rating and missed an IM norm in Commonwealth 2012 by a whisker. He started working hard and soon in 2015 he completed his IM title. In December 2018, he scored his maiden GM norm at Sitges Open and since then he is working hard towards achieving Grand Master title.

Senthil Maran "Chess has taught me handling difficult situations with patience and also that efforts are never futile." In 2008 summer vacations, he and his cousins used to play different games. Being good at outdoor games, his cousins challenged him to play chess. He didn't know chess and so he told his father to teach him the basics of the game. In the next summer vacation he played against his cousins and won. Later seeing his dedication, his cousin enrolled him in a Chess academy. He then played few tournaments and got an initial rating of 1642. He liked chess, but it was only after his college that he became serious about chess. Even though he knew he started late he was ready to take up the challenge. After working seriously, in no time he made his maiden IM norm and even showed great improvement in his rating chart. Now chess is his passion. He says, Like his family, even his friends are very supportive and keep him motiv...

Vaibhav Jayant Raut   "Chess is my passion, there are times when you have bad phases in life, but you should never give up, keep working hard and the good days will be back." His journey in chess began at the age of 6 when he saw his parents play chess at home.  His dad taught him the rules of the game and soon with proper coaching he got a rating of 1500. He has also been brilliant at academics and won gold medal in world Mathematics Olympiad in 3rd grade for which he was awarded with a computer . The progress in chess slowed down in the coming years but his passion for the game never deteriorated. Having a supportive family he opted for commerce in 11th grade just to focus on chess .  He did not disappoint his parents decision as he went on to beat GM Aleksandrov Aleksej (2595) when he was rated just 1980 . He considers this win as his biggest breakthrough in chess which motivated him to dream big ! Vaibhav being a jolly person never carries tension to th...