National Challengers Champion of the year Ravi Teja shared a lot of interesting details about his life in this quick chat. We talked about norms, his games, his personal life and more. A peek into his life could help you understand what it took to become an International Master and the winner of National Challengers!
Niranjan: Hello! How are your chess pieces doing these days?
Ravi Teja: Good. I am trying to change my style. Felt confident after winning National Challengers this year. So, my pieces are doing good.
NN: Yes, winning the national title must have been special. We will come to that. I believe National Challengers 2016 is your best performance so far?
Ravi Teja: Yes, it is special.
NN: How did you manage to make norms in quick successions? You had no norms before Chennai 2013. What was running in your mind during those years before the break?
RT: Yes, that was the most crucial period of my life. Had I not succeeded, my parent would have asked me to do MBA. So, I took every tournament as an opportunity to get results.
NN: How was your preparation before those norm events?
RT: To be frank, I didn’t practice anything for them. I and my close buddy CRG Krishna were going through a healthy competition. I believe that it helped me push more. I always compared my performances with him and he did the same, which helped us both to maintain a healthy competition.
NN: Back to back Indian tournaments are conducted to attract a lot of foreigners. From a player’s perspective, what helped you to do better in both – Chennai and Hyderabad in 2013? How did you maintain your energy levels?
RT: That’s a boon for an average standard player like me. I see it as an opportunity to seek IM and GM norms. I didn’t prepare for a single round in those tournaments. I told myself “You should get a positive result today, Otherwise you are forced to stop playing chess” So, I went with this mindset to every game and it worked.
NN: Did you rely on your preparations you did at home for the events?
RT: Yes, I have a routine of analyzing my games thoroughly. I don’t make the same mistakes again. I believe this habit has helped me, nothing special otherwise
NN: What’s your rating story? Did you reach 2400 easily or was it another task altogether?
RT: Not easy at all! (laughs) You can’t expect it to be easy in India. I dropped my rating from 2365 to 2304. Fortunately, I got employed by Railways during that period. Once I joined Railways in October 2014, I increased 100 points in two months and touched the 2400.
NN: How did you deal with that rating drop?
RT: I was completely down for every time I decreased my rating. But, the employment at the right time relieved my stress. It was the bright side. In case of chess, I just analyzed my games much more thoroughly.
NN: How would you generalize yourself as a player?
RT: I strive to convert every opening position to my comfort zone. Once a position reaches my comfort zone, I make sure I don’t miss my chances. I have always tried to convert opening positions to my comfort zone.
NN: You have emphasized that you pay a lot of attention to your games. How do you analyze them?
RT: I analyze games on ChessBase without an engine.
NN: National challengers is always a long event. What was your approach to the National Challengers?
RT: This was a non-rated open. I knew that players wouldn’t care about the result. So, I just showed my calm and waited for my opportunities. I would take advantage of the dubious moves played by my opponent.
Last year, I lost 32 points in national challengers with K10. After that, I openly challenged my friends that I will qualify for National A(Premier) next time. But, I never expected to win it.
Also, throughout the event, my would-be supported a lot. She has contributed a lot to my performance.
NN: Marriage bells soon? Wow! Would you like to tell about her?
RT: Yes. Her name is N.L.V Anusha. She is also a chess player
NN: How did you get to know each other? What’s your story?
RT: A facebook friend request during Chennai Open 2012 on the day of a bad loss changed it all (smiles). I had an accident later that year, that phase helped us to know each other.
NN: Amazing! What are your favorite games from National Challengers?
RT: My game against RR Laxman, Pradip Ghosh and K.Srikanth
Ravi, Teja S Vs Pradip, Ghosh
Ravi, Teja S Vs Laxman R.R
Srikanth Vs Ravi, Teja S
NN: Thanks for the games. Your thoughts on the games make it special for the readers. There are people trying to seek norms. There are players who have missed 7 norms and haven’t made one yet. What would you like to tell them?
RT: *Never take the opportunities lightly.
*Take practical decisions (Agreeing to a draw in a slightly better position depending on the situation)
NN: Do you have somebody who inspires you?
RT: Magnus Carlsen! Forget the losses, he doesn’t even like minus positions.
NN: What are you going to play next?
RT: National Premier in November
NN: Is there anything you wish to say to anybody? Sorry, thank you or whatever? This is a platform for you
RT: I would like to thank Mr. Pankaj Joshi for offering the job at Railways at the right time. As per my knowledge, I haven’t hurt anybody. So, no sorry.
Thank you for your time, Ravi Teja. I wish you the best in all your future endeavors
