LEARN chess to learn life ... is an old adage related to the game of 64 squares, believed to be invented in ancient India. While there is no clear reference as to who coined the phrase, many top chess players from across the globe firmly believe in it. Vidarbha’s first International Master (IM) Anup Deshmukh, who has to his credit victories over legendary Viswanathan Anand, is no different. ‘The Hitavada’ got in touch with the stalwart for a talk on the occasion of International Chess Day (July 20). “Chess is everything to me,” was his opening statement. It was an honest confession of a man who rose from a very humble background to make a name — all due to the board game. There are a lot of things one can adopt in life from chess. “I firmly believe in ‘learn chess to learn life’. First and foremost, the game teaches you to be disciplined and have focus. Chess players know the importance of planning. They analyse any given situation in a good, calm way. They don’t panic easily. They learn to have a proper balance in life making calculated moves. Most importantly, they know how to enjoy wins and cope with losses,” Deshmukh elaborated. Deshmukh feels that to make it big in chess, one should start early.

 

“One must start early and try to get the IM norm by 15-16. The human brain is at its best at this age. A younger player gets 40 rating points for winning one round in rated events (while a player like me who’s above 50 gets just ten points),” said Deshmukh, who won his first senior district title when he was just ten also accounting for Anand in a sub-junior national competition in that period. Deshmukh is of the view that playing more tournaments, having idols and reading chess books can add to efficiency of players. “It is important to select proper tournaments and play as much one can. If possible, one must play at least a couple of tournaments abroad. The best age to become Grandmaster (GM) is between 21-25. Players must dream of getting into the Indian team which is a very difficult proposition nowadays. They must have an idol or two, and try to emulate them. Aiming and dreaming big is a very good thing. Reading good books on chess also helps,” said Deshmukh who has been a mentor to city GMs Raunak Sadhwani and Sankalp Gupta, and WGM Divya Deshmukh when the trio was evolving in chess field. Only a healthy body can have a healthy mind according to Deshmukh. “A good player, who practises chess five hours a day, must give two hours for physical fitness. It is not easy to sit for long hours playing classical format.

 

Swimming, yoga and meditation must be part of that fitness regime. I used to run for hours together and noted athletic coach late Bhau Kane used to think that I was an athlete,” said Deshmukh. Chess helps in getting admissions in reputed institutions. “Most parents do not know this. If one is an IM or holds 2200-2400 rating points, one can get admission to NDA and many American or British universities. They not only take care of education but also help them play tournaments all over the world. Even in Shriram College, Delhi where admission in all faculties closes over 99 %, top players with even 60 % marks can get admission. I know a player who got free admission in a medical college for a paid seat,” said Deshmukh. The veteran, who took VRS from LIC in 2019 to play competitive chess, is still good at making right moves. “After serving one year as Head Coach of Gujarat chess team (2022), I played many top national and international events. In 2023, I won Jaffna International Chess Championship in Sri Lanka and finished runner-up in Maharashtra Open,” Deshmukh, who was twice youth (Under-25) champion of India, signed off. n