Chess Olympiad 2022: Grand master Raunak Sadhwani reveals why he preferred chess over cricket

Mahabalipuram, Aug 1: Cricket is the most popular sport in India and cricketers enjoy superstar status in the country. Hundreds of thousands of young boys and girls across the length and breadth of this vast nation pick up the sport and even aspire to be the next big thing in the world of cricket. But it wasn't the case with Raunak Sadhwani - the chess grandmaster from India.

The Nagpur-lad left cricket and picked up chess and thank god he did for the country got its fourth youngest chess grandmaster. Sadhwani became a grandmaster at the age of 13 to become the ninth youngest player in history to become a GM.

The chess prodigy from Maharashtra achieved his peak FIDE rating of 2619 in June this year. He is part of the strong Indian B team in the ongoing 44th Chess Olympiad in Mahabalipuram. The Indian B Team comprises young grandmasters like Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Adhiban Bhaskaran, and Raunak.

Before the start of the competition, world champion Magnus Carlsen cautioned the other teams to be vary of this young Indian side. Living up to the expectations in the early stages of the tournament, the team remains unbeaten in the first three rounds and won all the games.

MyKhel caught up with Raunak and the 16-year-old gave a peek at his journey in the tournament so far, his plans for the year, and why he chose to skip cricket to pursue a career in chess.

Here are the excerpts:

MyKhel: How has been your performance in the tournament so far?

Raunak: So far my performance has been fine. I hope to continue the same form and play whatever role my team gives me on that particular team. Overall, I am happy with how things have panned out so far.

MK: What are the strengths of the team and your chances going forward?

Raunak: The team is very strong and guys are pretty confident and on our best days we can beat even the top seeds.

MK: Who according to you is going to pose a threat to the Indian team?

Raunak: Definitely, the USA team, they are top-seeded. They are going to be the biggest challenge for us, there's no doubt about it.

MK: Does playing at home gives you and the rest of the guys' an advantage or does it put extra pressure on you guys to do well?

Raunak: To be honest I don't see any difference. I have to play my best game to win and help my team and that's what I am trying to do.

MK: India won a gold medal in the 2020 Chess Olympiad which was held virtually and also it was a shorter format. What positives can you take from the performance there or will it be a completely different ball game altogether?

Raunak: I think this is a completely new tournament. The format has changed, it's over the board. There's no online stuff, so we are taking it as a completely different tournament.

MK: What are your plans and targets for the year 2022?

Raunak: I am just going to play as many tournaments as I can and try to be consistent in them.

MK: You were attracted to cricket in your early years and later transitioned yourself to chess. What drove you towards chess?

Raunak: I was too small to play for a team in cricket, so I thought of giving it a try in chess and gradually everything fell into line. I started chess as a hobby but eventually got seriously involved with it.

MK: Age is not a big hurdle when it comes to chess. Why do you think even the youngest of players give stiff competition to the best in the world some days?

Raunak: Yes, I don't think age matters so much. But yes experience always plays a big role in the success of a chess player. And we as the Indian team have the experience.