Playing in Karnataka after a long time is always special! I had been observing that a lot of events are happening in Bangalore. Things have certainly changed for better. It was a pleasure to see tiny tots play strong moves in the 2nd BRDCA Rating Chess Tournament. I am happy to confess that I did tour the playing arena to watch kids play while it was my opponent’s turn in the afternoon rounds. It was my way of taking a break from the game.

The event attracted 380+ entries that included 5 International Masters, and yours truly was the thirteenth seed. Most of the top seeds were from Tamilnadu. A lot of players were very happy that the tiebreak: Most number of wins was not applied in the event.

Three players tied for first with eight points:

The top three winners (L to R: Sammed, Lokesh, Sohan)

Pic (Lokesh N, Sohan Phadke, Sammed Jaykumar Shete)

Arbiters:

Chief Arbiter Pramodraj Moree

Arbiters Venugopalan Pranesh Yadav and Karthik Shetty

Arbiters (L to R) Venugopalan, Nagendra Prasad, Pranesh Yadav

Tournament Organizer:

Hanumantha with the organizer Chidananda Chikka (right)

Hanumantha (Father of Karnataka chess, as announced by Karthik Shetty) with the organizer Chidananda Chikka (right)

Note: Chidananda Chikka announced six special (extra) prizes on the final day. All the winners were given cheques.

N.Lokesh and P.Saravana Krishna were leading the event after Round six. Sammed Jaykumar Shete joined the leaders after round eight and things changed drastically as Sammed went on to win a nice game with white.

Leaders of the final round – Sammed Jaykumar and N.Lokesh agreed to a quick draw, leaving it to their respective opponents to decide the crown (Buchholz). On the second board, Sohan Phadke scored a thrilling win against Saravana Krishna to tie for the first place.

Sohan Phadke reached Bangalore minutes before the start of the first game. He won the first round, chose not to play the second round of the event and went on to win seven games in a row! When asked, he jokingly declared that it was a smart move. Smart or not, but well deserved. He bagged the third prize and had exciting plans ahead!

A lot of my friends have admitted to me that winning against lower rateds, especially against the kids from Tamilnadu is an uphill task!

Thanks to the better tiebreak, N.Lokesh of Hosur emerged as the winner of 2nd BRDCA Chess Event.

Winner:

Champion with the winners trophy

Final standings:

http://www.chess-results.com/tnr240535.aspx?lan=1&art=4&wi=821

Here is an interview with the winner:

Niranjan: Congratulations on winning the event, Lokesh. How are you feeling after winning the event? What are your impressions?
Lokesh: As a chess player, winning an event is very important. We all know that a win like this is a great boost to life. This is an important step to ascend to the next level.

N: Did you aim for the title before the event? Did you believe you could win the rating event?
Lokesh: No, I didn’t expect to win. But, I wanted to perform well and give my best in all the nine games. I’m very happy I won!

N: Let’s go back a little..What did you do before the event? Did you have some special preparations this time?
Lokesh: YES, I did practice before the event. I must thank my friends – Surendran, Sekar, Pradeep and Saravana Krishna! I analysed games with friends and have benefitted a lot from it. I believe that working with my friends supported my progress very well.

N: Did you have a target for the year 2016?
Lokesh: No, I didn’t. Every chess player aspires to become an IM or a GM. Isn’t it? But, I don’t have a short term goal in mind. I will take things as they come, improve my knowledge and play one move at a time. A target is more of a pressure. So, I am happy without pressure and not running behind anything. At some point, I will reach the obvious goal (smiles).

N: How important is this win in your life?
Lokesh: This is very special. I won a rating event after a long time. The last time, it was in Sarangpur (September 2015). This win came after a gap of one year, two months. I was rated 2290 in the March list, but my rating went down by 100 elo points roughly. So, a win after all that is certainly important. I believe that this could be a good turning point to rise again. Above all, it is also a boost for me to practice more.

N: Oh, yes. I know how hard it is. I know how bad it hurts when the rating goes down. But, what did you do the next day? What was your approach after losing close to 100 rating points? Did you take a gap from chess?
Lokesh: Yes, I lost rating points in frequent intervals. After that bad phase, I did relax for two-three days. A phase of that sort is full of doubts and conflicts. You are not sure if you should go and play another event. But, to stabilize financially – winning a tournament like this becomes essential. To compete in the big events, one must win small events. It is hard to win 5-6 consecutive games against lower rateds. But, the fact that I must win tournaments like these to compete in the norm events motivates me. The thought keeps me going.

N: Have you made a major change in your approach towards playing against lower rateds after the tough seven months?
Lokesh: Not a major change, but I just became more alert. That’s all

N: Coming to the next phase of the interview, you are also a coach. You teach as well as play. Some people told me that coaching will spoil the game. I don’t believe so. But,what do you think about this? Has coaching helped you?
Lokesh: Definitely! Coaching has improved my game. I am brushing my basics as I impart knowledge to students. I have also been told that coaching spoils the game, but it is not true. Coaching has helped me strengthen my basics, especially the endgame. I am able to excel and squeeze in endings these days

N: Can you tell me a little about your background. Where are you from? Where do you live?
L: I am basically from Hosur. For now, I live in Chennai. I work as a coach in a Viyugam Chess Academy along with my friends – Surendran, Lokesh, Sekar and Pradeep Kumar. My father works in a Global Calcium Company and my mother works in a fancy store at Hosur.

N: What was the reaction of your parents after you shared the news of your victory today?
L: They were happy that I won after a long gap. It is evident that I will perform better if I work harder

N: What are your future plans? Next tournaments?
L: I am thinking of playing norm events in the Indian circuit. I will play an open event in Vijayawada and Hyderabad before the norm events.

N: You are rich today! How are you planning to celebrate your victory?
L: I will be going to a movie with my friends.

N: Wow! Which movie?
L: Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada (Fear is foolishness)

 (I love a song called Thali Pogathey from the film. It is magical)  

N: I know how big this win is. This opens door to more opportunities as you could play more norm events. I wish you success in your coaching as well as in your game
L: Thank you so much

N: It was a pleasure talking to you. Thanks for talking to 8cross8
L: My pleasure!

yours truly finished decent 4th

It was nice to play in Karnataka after a long gap. I did have happy moments, and finished fourth

Special thanks to Kannan Sa a.k.a Randy alstone for the pictures of prize winners