Anish ‘Drawish’ Giri addresses chess internet’s nickname, says draw always better than a loss
The internet can be an unforgiving place. It doesn’t take too much for you to become a meme or earn yourself a nickname you won’t be able to shake.
The internet sphere for chess, for all its intellectual overture, isn’t any different — case in point, Dutch GM Anish Giri.
His penchant for playing one draw too many throughout his chess career had earned him the clever moniker ‘Drawish Giri’ from social media, long ago — an easy pun, considering his first name.
Giri’s performance at the ongoing Chennai Grand Masters 2025 has certainly gone a long way in keeping this particular joke alive and kicking.
After the seventh round, the 31-year-old has drawn all seven of his games, prompting a self-aware Giri to acknowledge the punchline and even try to rationalise it.
The internet sphere for chess, for all its intellectual overture, isn’t any different — case in point, Dutch GM Anish Giri.
The internet sphere for chess, for all its intellectual overture, isn’t any different — case in point, Dutch GM Anish Giri.
“It’s probably not entirely unfair because I do make a lot of draws. I think it has to do with the fact that I’m a very good defender. So, when I have a bad tournament, I’m often able to not lose the games that are bad.
Had I been a worse defender, I would have lost two games, and nobody would have been bullying me online. So, I’m happy with what I have,” said Giri, to the media on Wednesday.
With a dash of optimism, Giri observed his seven-game draw streak in Chennai as a glass-half-full scenario.
“I am actually lucky that I have all the draws, because I had one chance against Pranav that I ruined in one move. But otherwise, I was on the verge of defeat two times, so I was very lucky not to lose to Nihal and Vidit. So I shouldn’t complain,” said Giri.
The Dutch chess player believes the final perception of his tournament will now hinge on how he fares in the final two rounds.
“You have to be very patient in these kinds of tournaments. Of course, winning is no longer possible, but the difference between a good and a bad tournament can be one game. If you win one game, it’s fine. If you lose one game, it’s bad. You have to play to the end and then see what happens,” added Giri.
Not a one-off
It needs to be noted that this is not the first time Giri has been involved in a Super GM tournament where he dealt only in draws.
Back in 2016, during the Candidates, he had played 14 draws from 14 games in a double round-robin tournament featuring eight players; a performance which painted the early outlines for the ‘Drawish Giri’ jokes.
While he enjoys all the ‘Drawish’ jokes, Giri has been around in the chess circuit long enough to understand that a draw is always better than a loss.
While he enjoys all the ‘Drawish’ jokes, Giri has been around in the chess circuit long enough to understand that a draw is always better than a loss.
But Giri refused to draw parallels, considering the raised stakes back then.
“That one was much more tense. I was always looking at the standings, trying to think about how many games I should win to catch up. It turned out, I needed to win at least one [laughs].”
Russia’s Sergey Karjakin had won the Candidates in 2016, with 8.5 points, while Giri finished joint fourth, just 1.5 points away.
“I had a chance until almost the end. I did play really well. I was never lost. I was pushing mostly. I was a little too tense. In hindsight, I think that’s why I made draws,” he added.
While he enjoys all the ‘Drawish’ jokes, Giri has been around in the chess circuit long enough to understand that a draw is always better than a loss.
“I remember when I had one tournament where I was losing a few games. At that moment, I told myself, never again will you be ungrateful and annoyed when you make all the draws,” recalled Giri, triggering laughter at the media interaction.