Pa. Iniyan aims for consistency after Chennai Open title win

Pa. Iniyan (22) made the headlines in 2019 when he became India’s 61st Grandmaster. But it has been almost six years since he breached the 2500 Elo mark (Current Elo – 2508).

“I mean the moment you become a GM, I think for everybody there is a little dip. The immediate six months after that. And then, there was COVID-19,” said Iniyan after winning the Chennai Open International Grandmasters chess tournament here on Thursday.

“Consistency has been an issue. Several times, I’ve played very well in some tournaments and then I will drop. I’m trying to improve on that, to be more consistent. I mean to maintain a basic level that I do not drop from,” he added.

Last year, he made a conscious effort to play in tournaments where he was not one of the top seeds to play stronger opponents and improve his calibre. He managed some close finishes.

“Sometimes, the situation doesn’t come together for you. And you have to play well against every opponent, regardless of their ratings. You have to play according to the position. It’s easy to say, but hard to apply during the game. And I’m trying to do that more,” he said reflecting on last year’s performances.

Asked if he’s looking to do anything different this year from his learnings, he said: “Almost everybody knows that my variations are limited in the opening stage. So, now I’m trying to maximize that. I’m trying to play a lot more positions and openings.”

Iniyan won seven and drew three of the ten rounds to become the Chennai Open champion with 8.5 points. Reviewing his title win, he said: “After the final ranking came, I saw that I had played players ranked from 2nd to 7th. So, it was, in fact, a very good tournament for me. I played against such good players and still managed to score enough points.

“The whole tournament, I was either leading or co-leading with somebody else. It was a good feeling that I was never under much pressure. Except for the last game, since I was playing in a must-win situation with fewer tie-breaks than the other players. And the players playing with half a point behind had the chance to catch up with me if I made a draw. So, I had to win. And my opponent was an experienced grandmaster (Deepan Chakkravarthy), so I had to play well. I’m happy that I managed to do that and win.

“It’s nice that I got a tournament win in Chennai. It’s very hard to win a tournament in India because a lot of the players here are underrated. The players who are 2300 (Elo) here, if they played a lot in Europe or other places, would be 2400-2500. Their ratings don’t really reflect their strength. So, it’s good to win.”

He said that his target is to reach 2600 (Elo) very soon.

“I would like to play in the World Cup. So, to qualify for the World Cup, you need to do well in the Nationals or the Asian Continental (chess championship). Nationals is already done. The Asian Continental will happen some months later. So, I will be trying to do well there. And there are major tournaments like Sharjah Masters, which I will try to play,” he added.