CHENNAI: Anish Giri has been there for a while, posing stiff challenge to two back-to-back generations of champion chess players. After he burst onto the chess scene, the current world No. 10 had the unenviable task of going toe to toe with the likes of the legendary Magnus Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana.
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Now, the Dutchman is dealing with the young brigade comprising world champ D Gukesh , R Praggnanandhaa , Arjun Erigaisi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov among others. In order to remain a force, Anish has had to smartly “adapt” to the sweeping changes that the game has undergone over the last decade.
The 31-year-old put the drastic shift down to the emergence of chess engines. “Chess is a very dynamic game and a lot has changed because of the development of computers. It has been changing throughout our history, but what previously took 10 years is now taking only one year. I can no longer recognise the game that I play now. It has nothing to do with the game that I played 10 years ago,” said Anish, who will strive for success in Chennai Grand Masters .
“Most of them (from the previous generation) are still playing at the top, but the game is just completely different. The approach and way we prepared were different. I have suffered from this change at some point, but I am at least satisfied that I was able to show good results relatively quickly. It is very different for the young players because they see the game as it is now. They need not make that adjustment,” Anish added.
The high volume of games played these days and the data extracted from those have greatly contributed to the changes. The chess-engine “explosion” in recent years has meant that the top players are hardly bereft of ideas. “The great players from many years ago — they more or less played 2,000 games in their entire life. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, I played 700 games in just one year. That is nearly two games every day,” said Anish.
“Tons of players are working with the newest engines and playing daily games. The chess databases are now flooded with games. There are hundreds of games every day with relevant openings. The explosion of opening preparation has changed the game dramatically.”
While Anish acknowledged that the chess culture in different countries and philosophies have had an effect on the game, he maintained that engines have been the top influencers.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Now, the Dutchman is dealing with the young brigade comprising world champ D Gukesh , R Praggnanandhaa , Arjun Erigaisi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov among others. In order to remain a force, Anish has had to smartly “adapt” to the sweeping changes that the game has undergone over the last decade.
The 31-year-old put the drastic shift down to the emergence of chess engines. “Chess is a very dynamic game and a lot has changed because of the development of computers. It has been changing throughout our history, but what previously took 10 years is now taking only one year. I can no longer recognise the game that I play now. It has nothing to do with the game that I played 10 years ago,” said Anish, who will strive for success in Chennai Grand Masters .
“Most of them (from the previous generation) are still playing at the top, but the game is just completely different. The approach and way we prepared were different. I have suffered from this change at some point, but I am at least satisfied that I was able to show good results relatively quickly. It is very different for the young players because they see the game as it is now. They need not make that adjustment,” Anish added.
The high volume of games played these days and the data extracted from those have greatly contributed to the changes. The chess-engine “explosion” in recent years has meant that the top players are hardly bereft of ideas. “The great players from many years ago — they more or less played 2,000 games in their entire life. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, I played 700 games in just one year. That is nearly two games every day,” said Anish.
“Tons of players are working with the newest engines and playing daily games. The chess databases are now flooded with games. There are hundreds of games every day with relevant openings. The explosion of opening preparation has changed the game dramatically.”
While Anish acknowledged that the chess culture in different countries and philosophies have had an effect on the game, he maintained that engines have been the top influencers.
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