For
the die hard Cricket fan, 11.7.2026 was
not good - Shreyas
Iyer had close to the worst possible
start to his captaincy career losing all
six completed matches, including losing to Ireland for the first time in
international cricket - 2-0 in the series - then 4-0 against England. .. what a fall for the Champions of T20I
At
Triplicane (for SYMA) it was a great day – our Educational Aid function and
this a post on a sweet, humble Sports person who by his demeanour gave us very
pleasant feelings.. .. not often one could sit near and converse
with a Grand Master !!
Chess is not a
battle between black and white
pieces; it is a dialogue between two minds. Victory belongs not always to the
more intelligent, but often to the wiser. Intelligence discovers possibilities;
wisdom chooses the right one. That is why Chess has long been regarded as a
game of wisdom rather than merely a game of intellect. The game encompasses – shrewdness, thinking
ahead, understanding that every move has
consequences; there can be sacrifice for a greater goal, one needs to be
patient rather than impulsive; learn from mistakes and always look beyond the
obvious.
"Every
Grandmaster has mastered the sixty-four squares; the truly great also win
hearts with their simplicity. A cherished moment with Grandmaster Kidambi
Sundararajan, where the conversation was far more memorable than the photograph
itself."
A Grandmaster's
mind is not merely one that remembers openings or calculates variations. It is
a mind that sees possibilities where others see only positions. To the casual
observer, Chess is a game of sixty-four squares. To a Grandmaster, it is a
universe of ideas, patterns and subtle decisions. It is this ability to
perceive order amidst complexity that distinguishes an exceptional player from
an ordinary one.
Among Indian chess
circles, Kidambi Sundararajan is admired not
only for becoming a Grandmaster but also for his humility, patience, and willingness
to mentor younger players. Those who have met him often remark on his
approachable nature and thoughtful personality.
Kidambi
Sundararajan became India's 19th Grandmaster in 2009. Since then, Indian chess
has grown at an extraordinary pace. Today, India has nearly 100 Grandmasters,
including prodigies such as R. Praggnanandhaa, D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and
R. Vaishali. Players like Kidambi belong to the generation that bridged the era
between Viswanathan Anand's pioneering success and India's emergence as a true
chess powerhouse.
A Grandmaster (GM)
is the highest regular title awarded to chess players by the FIDE (the
International Chess Federation). It is a lifetime title and is recognized
worldwide as a mark of exceptional chess skill. The official Grandmaster (GM)
title was introduced by FIDE in 1950. Before
1950, the term grandmaster was used informally to describe the world's
strongest players. There were no universal rules or official certification. Interestingly, the first Grandmasters did not
have to earn "GM norms", because those qualification rules did not
yet exist.
The first Indian
to be awarded the title of Grandmaster (GM) was Viswanathan
Anand. He achieved the title in 1988, at the age of 18, becoming a
pioneer for Indian chess. Before Vish
Anand, Manuel Aaron became India's first International Master (IM) in 1961
The Man of the post Kidambi Sundararajan, born in 1982, exceptionally talented – his journey to the GM title included earning three
Grandmaster norms:
• July 2005 – Canadian Open
International Chess Tournament (1st GM norm)
• August 2008 – Badalona International
Open, Spain (2nd GM norm)
• May 2009 – Dubai Open (3rd and final
GM norm)
After completing the
required norms and satisfying the rating requirement, FIDE officially awarded
him the Grandmaster title in 2009. He
attained his peak FIDE rating: 2526 (January 2010).
In the
first round of the 2018 Chess.com Isle of Man International, GM Sundararajan
Kidambi was paired against Vladimir Kramnik, the 14th World Chess Champion,
whose rating was over 300 Elo points higher. Most expected Kramnik to win
comfortably. Sundararajan had the white
pieces and chose the English Opening; exerted pressure on Kramnik's queenside. As
the game progressed into the endgame, the advantage dissipated and Kramnik
began pressing with an extra pawn. Despite Kramnik's superb endgame technique,
Kidambi defended accurately for 77 moves, eventually securing a hard-earned
draw in an opposite-coloured bishop endgame.
Though
much is dwelt on this game – Sundarajan was to say : I dont know if it was the greatest moment for
me or not, it was a great thing to play a legendary player and draw, yes there
were winning chances, but I didn’t manage to play accurate enough. There are
several other moments of winning tournaments rather than hold or win one great
player. Hard to limit a 30 year chess journey on one point !!! -
words from the experienced wizkid !
In case you
wonder, what is great - Kramnik is one
of the greatest chess players in history. He defeated Garry Kasparov in 2000 to
become World Champion and is regarded as one of the finest positional players
and endgame experts ever. Sundararajan was not merely defending from the start—he
actually had the initiative in the early middlegame before the game equalized.
For many Indian fans, that game symbolized Kidambi's ability to stand shoulder
to shoulder with the very best.
The rivalry
between Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik is one of the greatest and most
evenly balanced in modern chess history.
Overall they played 93 matches – with 71 draws each had 11 wins. Their
most famous encounter was the World Chess Championship 2008 in Bonn, Germany.
Yesterday at NKT
National Girls High School, SYMA conducted its annual Educational aid function.
Mr Sandeep Somani, Vice-President – Finance
& Company Secrerary, Prodapt Solutions Pvt Ltd; Mr M
Balasubramaniam, Director – Mangal Tirth Estates Pvt Ltd & Sri Kidambi
Sundararajan, Grand Master (Chess) were the Guests of honour.
As Sri Kidambi
Sundararajan walked in – almost half an hour before the scheduled start, his
humility and the way he spoke us to all was delightful. He is a genius in every sense of the word - Chess teaches one to
think before moving; humanity teaches
one to think before speaking. GM Kidambi Sundararajan appears to have mastered
both. His games exhibit clarity of calculation; his writings exhibit clarity of
thought. One engages the intellect, the other the reader's mind.
During
our conversation, I found not merely a Grandmaster of chess, but a gentleman of
quiet humility and wisdom. It is often said that true greatness carries little
noise. In GM Kidambi Sundararajan, one finds an accomplished player whose
intellect is matched by simplicity and grace.
The
audience consisting of School and College students and elderly people was
enthralled by the speeches of the distinguished Guests and for sure each one of
them would savour those special moments with the Genius, genial personality –
Kidambi Sundararajan.
For me
the few minutes spent with him are really, really inspiring, enlightening, moments
worthy of remembrance ever. Thank you
Sir !!
Regards
– S Sampathkumar
12.7.2026
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