After national title, Negi aims higher
Posted: Thu Dec 23 2010, 02:01 hrs
New Delhi:
As he held the National Chess Championship trophy – that resembled a chess pawn – aloft, it also meant that India’s youngest Arjuna Awardee Parimarjan Negi had ended an otherwise disappointing year on a high.
But the euphoria that should come after a title drought was missing. “This win is satisfying after going through a year when I lost titles in Dubai, Poland and at the Commonwealth Championships after being in the lead. But my aim is much higher. Although you end up proving yourself in the nationals, with this win I can’t even say I’m the best in the country because a lot of top players like Sasikaran don’t even play here,” said Parimarjan.
Parimarjan remained undefeated in the 13 rounds of play in the tournament and felt it could be because the playing field did not pose too many challenges. “I didn’t have a single bad position throughout the event, I could have easily had a few more wins… just let some of my opponents escape with easy draws,” he said after winning six and drawing seven matches.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com
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More than another feather in his cap, this victory is a ticket for him for the biennial Chess World Cup next year where playing in 2009, he lost in the first round because the qualifying rounds had drained him. “After the new rules, the national champion from India gets to play in the main draw and that’s what my aim was. Unless you test yourself against the world’s best, most of which I am expecting will come there, you can never really judge where you stand,” he says.
Balancing between studying for his board examinations and keeping his tournament commitments, Parimarjan hasn’t yet chalked out his schedule for next year but he has an idea of where he wants to be. He has already been roped in by Belgian, Spanish, German and Greek leagues to play for them and spends a good part of the year amid the European summer taking coaching from former chess big wigs. But all this is not without a plan.
Parimarjan’s current FIDE rating is around 2620 but he is aiming to break into the 2650 bracket after which he will receive invitations to high end, closed events. “There are very few players above the 2700 mark but a higher rating is what I am targeting for this year because even if I get a few invitations the better I do against a higher rated player, the better my rating will become,” he said.
It’s not that Parimarjan would feel out of place among the biggies. He has already trained under English great Nigel Short, and has interacted with Viswanathan Anand. So whom does he look up to? Negi’s rules are clear on that. “I don’t want to make idols out of players. Most of the biggies are still playing and I want to beat them. If I come to the table thinking they are my heroes, that will make it difficult for me to compete,” he added. Though the trophy he will sleep with tonight is a pawn, Parimarjan aims to be right up there among the kings.