GM at 13, India's Raunak still struggles to have full-time coach — Exclusive

NEW DELHI: The COVID-19 outbreak had not yet caused a hullabaloo crossed the globe, Lionel Messi was inactive without a FIFA World Cup title, artificial quality (AI) had not entered mundane conversations, and Russia and Ukraine were inactive “non-hostile” neighbours erstwhile Nagpur’s Raunak Sadhwani attained his Grandmaster (GM) rubric successful 2019.At 13 years 9 months and 28 days, Raunak earned the highest rubric successful chess, becoming 1 of the youngest Indians to execute the feat. In the grounds book, helium joined the likes of existent World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju (12 years, 7 months and 17 days), Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (12 years, 10 months and 13 days), and Nihal Sarin (14 years, 1 period and 1 day).

As Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa stay the apical 2 names successful the existent FIDE standing database for juniors, Raunak, presently stationed astatine fig eight, is not excessively acold behind.Well, each helium tin callback astir pursuing the GM rubric is the unit during the archetypal norm.“I was ne'er bothered astir the GM title. I’ve ever felt that I would get there,” Raunak told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive speech connected the sidelines of the Global Chess League (GCL), presently taking spot successful Mumbai. “But my archetypal norm was difficult. It took immoderate time, and past it was truly easy. I knew I belonged there.

So I conscionable kept playing and yet got it.”However, the travel since past has not been easy. With the pandemic putting regular beingness to a standstill, and players not capable to question overseas to play successful higher-rated tournaments, immoderate players slowed down.While the likes of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Nihal are 3 of the astir celebrated chess players successful the country, Raunak is inactive figuring his mode around.“I decidedly person to amended more. I mislaid standing successful the past six months, truthful I decidedly privation to get backmost and triumph immoderate tournaments and get my ELO back.

So I’m moving connected it,” added the 2638-rated 19-year-old, who achieved a highest standing of 2681 backmost successful January 2025.Nevertheless, the program to “definitely person to improve” requires a due framework, guidance, and mentorship, which the teen is presently struggling to spend owed to what galore see the acheronian broadside of nonrecreational chess: the expense.While the chess ecosystem has evolved successful a mode wherever a subordinate is made to carnivore each his/her expenditures, adjacent hiring a full-time manager is proving to beryllium a situation owed to the deficiency of capable backstage sponsorship.“It’s a large occupation successful the game. Even I inactive look this contented myself. I don’t person a full-time manager close present due to the fact that it’s truly expensive. You request a sponsor for that, and I’m waiting for one,” helium revealed.“At the moment, I don’t person any. So yeah, it’s a precise costly game. Coaching isn’t casual to spend due to the fact that the rates are overmuch higher compared to different sports. So yeah, it’s not precise casual for radical to negociate it.”In GCL this season, Raunak is sharing the aforesaid squad with five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, 2025 FIDE World Cup victor Javokhir Sindarov, and German endowment Vincent Keymer.“It’s an absorbing squad with the likes of Viswanathan Anand sir, and everyone other is rather young, truthful I cognize them rather good myself. So it volition beryllium fun,” helium further noted.Raunak sees the GCL arsenic a preparatory measurement for the upcoming FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships, wherever helium volition instrumentality the tract successful Doha, Qatar.“It volition beryllium precise bully to enactment successful the flow. You’re playing accelerated present and past instantly you spell to Qatar to play accelerated again. So it’s decidedly a bully warm-up to have,” the teenage Grandmaster concluded.