Indian Chess: Defying Norms with Hyper-Aggressive Approach
In the world of chess, young players often start with an aggressive style, seeking wins at all costs. However, as they climb the ranks, they are expected to adopt a more conservative approach. But India’s young grandmasters (GMs) are breaking this mold, proving that hyper-aggression can still be a winning formula at the highest level.
Former world No. 3 Anish Giri observes that these young GMs have defied the norm by maintaining their aggressive style even against top players. “They go after the top players as if they were still in these open tournaments. And it sort of works too,” said Giri.
This approach was evident in India’s dominant performance at the Chess Olympiad, where the men’s team won 27 out of 44 games and lost only once. Giri attributes their success to a combination of talent, luck, and their aggressive style.
“They are particularly talented, particularly strong. But also, there is an element of luck involved too,” said Giri. “But one thing that really helped for the youngsters in this case is that you start off always playing much lower-rated teams. So you start off almost by default with wins.”
In contrast, players from countries like the United States tend to adopt a more conservative approach, drawing more games against weaker opponents. Giri believes that India’s young GMs are able to rack up wins against lower-rated players due to their hyper-aggressive style.
The Chess Olympiad also highlighted the growing strength of Indian chess. Giri notes that India has a wide pool of talented players, which gives them an advantage in events like the Global Chess League.
“There is not only the top crop, but also the width, you know, the breadth,” said Giri. “Like if we play Olympiad on 100 boards, India is going to dominate even more because there’s like layers and layers of amazing players.”
As India’s young GMs continue to rise, they are inspiring a new generation of players. D Gukesh’s upcoming World Championship match against Ding Liren in November is a significant moment for Indian chess.
“In general, matches are very, very different,” said Giri. “There is psychology and also the preparation is very different too. So you have much more time to focus on one particular opponent.”
Giri sees Gukesh as the favorite in the match, but he also acknowledges the pressure that comes with being the favorite. However, Gukesh’s aggressive style may help him overcome this pressure and focus on playing his best chess.
