Making Moves

Batu was like another four year old kid, living in a government colony at Munirka, New Delhi. He would go to school, play cricket whenever time permitted and watched the television for the cartoon shows. Being close to JNU, one of his father’s close college friends, Vinayak, who was teaching International Studies there would land up at their home quite often for dinner. On one such visit, Vinayak, who himself was an accomplished chess player presented Batu with a magnetic chess set. The kid at first enjoyed the new toy and would move the pieces like a car, making sounds like vroom and swoosh. Vinayak spent some time with the kid and slowly showed him the different pieces and how they moved. By the tenth sitting, the four year old kid beat Vinayak. It was then that Vinayak asked Batu’s father to work on the talented kid on this game of sixty four squares. Initially the father paid little heed but by now the kid developed interest in the game and the fairy tale continued.

Batu, born on 9^th Feb 1993, became Junior India Champion and by 2002 was soon crowned the Asian Youth Chess Champion. He achieved Grand Master title at the age of 13 years and 142 days in 2006, becoming the second youngest chess Grand Master. Batu went on to win many more titles and championships across the globe where his father would take him along and in 2010, was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award when he was just 17 years old. It was quite an achievement at such a tender age. Batu was destined for greater glory and the man standing behind him was his father who would go from one corporate to another, one PSU to another to seek funds for the boy to travel and get the best possible coaching to succeed in this highly competitive sport. It was an expensive game at the top level but the father never backed down. He was a man possessed to ensure his son got the best and had to never worry about anything other than playing at ease and at peace to deliver the best winning results.

Batu, the child prodigy, or should we for now call him Arjun after the award he won, gradually broke into the elite top 100 of world’s chess players. He was now rubbing shoulders with the best in the business and was also playing in top form at times beating the players in the top 10. The world was his playground and Arjun was the Master who played to win. Suddenly when he was in an ascendant mode, Arjun was at crossroads and had a conversation with his charioteer father or should we for now call him Krishna. Almost a repeat of the Mahabharata scene at Kurukshetra as Arjun faced the best warriors and Batu too faced the best players in front, he literally laid down the Gandiv or his bow. Krishna then spoke of the eternal truth through what we now know as Bhagawad Gita, the story today was quite different. Here’s an excerpt of the modern day Partha Arjun and his Parthasarathi, his Fatherly Krishna. The Sanskrit quotes included are correct but the English translations for the sake of the conversation have been modified to suit the story:

Arjun: “na yotsya iti govindam, na yotsya iti govindam…Hey Govind, the very thought of war on the chessboard itself gives me grief and I feel dejected, therefore, I will not play anymore.” 

Krishna: “Hey Arjun, you grieve for those for matters that should not be grieved for and yet seemingly speak like a wise man.”

Arjun: “nimittaani ch pashyaami vipritaani Keshav…Hey Keshav! Wherever I look, I see nothing but evil and unpleasant omens in the upcoming hard battles on the board and the life beyond.”

Krishna:  “Karma-yogi does not care for omens. He is unattached to everything because he neither rejoices victories nor does he ever feel dejected in defeat.”

Arjun: “In this game, I do not foresee any good resulting from my playing any more but bring grief to my friends and family. Victories will be far and few, defeats at the hands of super champions will happen more often going forward.” 

Krishna: “sarva-dharmamapi chaavekshya na vikampitum-arhasi…there is nothing more welcome to a champion player than to play in the right manner, Arjun. One’s own duty though devoid of merit is preferable to the duty of another well performed, because even defeat in the performance of one’s duty brings happiness.”

Arjun: “na kaankshe vijayam krishna na ch raajayam sukhaani ch…But I do not covet victory, being crowned or even luxuries. And these luxuries and victories will be short lived, at best another 5-10 years. Look, to lead a luxurious life while playing chess is only possible when you can break into top-10 bracket. Vishy (Viswanathan Anand) was in top-10 by the time he was 20. Then he took a risk by shifting his base (Spain). But chess is a cerebral game where people are now leaving the sport by 35. No longer can you be in top rung in your 40s and 50s.”

"Nowadays, chess is all about preparing on different openings. It takes a toll on your mind and body. I know I can reach higher position but I want to now take a fresh leap into the world of academics. I have got my admission to Stanford and will concentrate on doing good in the new world which will hold me in good stead for a long time, much beyond what chess will ever do. ”

Krishna heard Arjun’s plans. He saw a complete turnaround by his son and dreams they both cherished being lost forever. But then he could see that Arjun had taken a thoughtful and calculated decision and so it was his fatherly duty to now back his son’s move enthusiastically.

Krishna: “Happy are the champions who obtain such an unsolicited opportunity of playing at this level and then decide to give up everything and pursue another different life. Stand up Arjun and perform what your heart seeks of you with peace in thy soul. I agree that continuing this game will definitely lead you to a difficult life ahead. It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

Arjun: “nashto moha smritir labdhaa tvat prsaadnmyaa achyut, sthito asmi gat sandeha karishye vachanam tav…After hearing your discourse, my delusion born out of ignorance is destroyed and O the Unchanging One, by Your grace, I have recollected my memory. My doubts are gone and from now on, I shall surely put in my life and soul into the new academic world I step into. Chess will take a backseat and academics will be my priority.”

“Hey Govind, as a friend, charioteer and counsellor, you have performed your duty well. Ready and eager for the upcoming battle, my mother and brother must be anxiously waiting for us. Therefore, Hey Madhusudan, please take my chariot near them so that I may blow my trumpet, the conch-shell Devadatta and begin to worship the All Pervading and the Nameless One by performing my new found duty.”

Arjun or Parimarjan Negi was rated 2650 FIDE and ranked in the top 100 in the world and had talent enough to break into top 20 but the climb would have been extremely tough and uncertainty was there about the time it would take to reach. Parimarjan was always a bright student in school when he decided to give up his life’s passion to seek long term sustainable success in life through the path of education. At Stanford he is now a rising senior, was immediately sold on Computer Science (CS) as his primary field of study when he arrived on campus. According to the Indian-born Grand Master, “CS is a very logical choice for chess players because it’s all about problem-solving.” 

Recently in an interview Batu, as he is fondly called at home, said “When I set foot on campus freshman year, someone told me that you can only choose two out of three things: a) academics, b) socializing, or c) sleep. I chose academics and sleep.”

When Parimarjan first began his studies at Stanford, he was a “complete outsider”—as if a 1600-rated player tried playing in a tournament with masters. “I was at the bottom of my class,” he said. “But I remembered how I used to pour hours and hours into studying the game and eventually got better. When you’ve had the experience of grinding for five hours just to hold a draw, you don’t get frustrated with several hours spent debugging a program.” The task of buckling down, doing the work and patiently waiting for the results was no longer daunting. He had done it before. Three years later, Parimarjan strolls comfortably in and out of the computer science department and is even considering a Ph.D. in the field. 

We will never know if Chess lost a potential World Champion. The Charioteer father, who happens to be a close friend, is so excited that his Arjun is doing what his heart wants. Happy for Batu who we wish all the very best in life, but sad that sports lost a champion to studies…

 

Checkmate…game lost.

SS