youngest to win Asian Continental Chess Championship, the 19-year-old is keen to break into 2700 category
He is the youngest Indian to win the Asian Continental Chess championship, which concluded last week in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It’s an achievement that would naturally launch one into seventh heaven. But, for young Parimarjan Negi, the fact is yet to sink in.
Ask him what it means to become the youngest Indian to win the Asian Continental Chess championship, and he has no definite answers.
“Well, I am not sure if this has been the biggest victory of my career,” the 19-year-old said.
“Yes, this has done well for me in many ways. It’s what I had been preparing for quite some time. It has finally started paying off for me in tough situations. Finally, I’m feeling much stronger than ever.”
The result has put Negi in the league of big names like K Sasikiran, SS Ganguly and P Harikrishna.
However, this is just the beginning for the youngster.
“The Chess Olympiad in August end in Turkey is something I have been looking forward to. Before that, I will be playing in two tournaments in Holland and Spain in July and am looking to win both as the field there is not that strong,” said Negi, who has a couple of weeks to divert his mind from 64 squares.
Negi says he stays positive even during defeats. “Winning six straight games after losing the very second game was something that even surprised me. But then I have been working hard on the aspect of dealing with defeats and not carrying the emotions too long. It’s a natural progression for me and shows that I’ve been becoming stronger psychologically,” Negi said.
Having already achieved an Elo rating of 2660, Negi’s next aim is to consolidate his world ranking and enter the exclusive 2700 category.
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