Master of moves
Sunny Kaul
Merely 47 Grandmasters in 69 years of independence. This shows how difficult it is to achieve the top title in chess. The latest addition to this illustrious list, which boasts of the likes of Viswanathan Anand, is Haryana’s Himanshu Sharma. The 34-year-old from Rohtak recently became the first chess player from the state to win the Grandmaster title. The journey to the title, however, has not been easy for Himanshu. It took him nearly 11 years to reach the top despite becoming International Master in 2006.
“A player needs to win three Grand master norms to become the Grandmaster. Back in 2006, a limited number of GM norm tournaments were held in India,” says Himanshu.
“My rating before getting the GM title had dipped to around 2350. From there on, I went on to achieve the 2500 rating. It is not easy to gain 150 rating points. You need to know your game really well and work hard to improve it,” said Himanshu, who is currently employed with the South-Western Railway in Bengaluru.
Himanshu, who created a flutter when he became the state champion at 13, says, “Even when you are doing well, it doesn’t mean there are no shortcomings in your game. You need to identify the weak links and work upon improving your game. I won my first GM norm in 2014. Before this, I had missed it nearly six times, and that too by small margins. I won my first GM norm in a tournament in Mumbai. The second GM norm came after playing in a tournament in Odisha in 2015. Thereafter, two more GM norms were won during the tournament in Spain in 2016.
Asked whether there was any frustration when he missed the title from so close, a composed Sharma, who learnt the game from his father, said: “If there are no hurdles in your way, you won’t be able to enjoy your success. As you overcome your shortcomings, you improve as a person and as a player.”
“Obviously, when you reach a certain level and then slip, it hurts, but at the same time, new avenues open up. You need to keep your eyes fixed on the target.”
On the future of the game, Himanshu says, “There is lack of awareness about the game in the North but it is improving with time. Schools need to promote this game. It is a great game to learn, particularly for children. Besides making them understand psychology, chess also teaches planning, logic, permutation and combination.
About his plans for future, Himanshu says, “The entire world is your competition field. It is when you enter the field, you realise how good or bad you are…I have played mostly in India and have performed well, but there is always a scope to move forward. I have attained 2500 rating and need to work towards getting past the 2600 mark.”
