Making the right move

My mother says I could remember flags of various countries when I was two-years-old. She spotted my talent and encouraged me to take up chess as a hobby

Twenty one-year old Musunuri Rohit Lalith Babu is the 26th Grandmaster from India and the fourth Grandmaster from Andhra Pradesh — the other three being Pendyala Hari Krishna (Guntur), Koneru Humpy (Vijayawada) and Dronavalli Harika (Guntur). Lalith was honored with the Grandmaster title at the tender age of 19 in 2012. He kick-started his career at the age of 15, clinching the 46th Championship held in Nellore and XVII National U-17 Boys Chess Championship held in Calicut in 2007 both nationally and internationally.

He further bagged the Silver medal at the Asian Junior Championship held in Chennai and secured the International Master Title and the Final Grand Master norm at Hastings, London 2012, where he was finally coveted with the Grand Master title. He is also the member of the only Indian team to win a medal (Bronze) in the chess Olympiad. Lalith also has the honor of being the first Indian to win the Chennai Super Kings International Chess Championship. This week, Lalith talks to Young Hans about his childhood, education and inspiration.

“My mother says I could remember flags of various countries when I was two-years-old. She spotted my talent and encouraged me to take chess as a hobby when I was in Class I,” says Lalith. Born on January 5, 1993 in Vijayawada, Lalith took to chess at a tender age and says it was a challenge juggling studies with his new found love for chess. After Class IV, Lalith was enrolled into Samvidya Peeth where he studied for one year. But the school mandated a minimum attendance, a requirement he couldn’t fulfill due to his commitments for chess. Homeschooling, he says, solved this predicament for him.

“I am passionate about chess and since I had many tournaments to attend, I couldn’t do justice to a regular school. I appeared as a private candidate for the Class VII board exams and secured 72 per cent,” he shares. While in Class I, he was brought under the tutelage of G Murali, who is still the young grandmaster’s coach.

“After I opted for homeschooling, I would reach my coach’s house everyday at 9 am and come back around 7:30 pm. We would play for 10 hours daily. Also since there were no computers back then, we would read many books on chess and classical games,” Lalith says.

“There are three fields in chess – the opening, the middle and the end game. One has to practice all the three fields to master the game. We would extensively concentrate on the middle game and would refer to Karpov’s and Kramick’s games for guidance,” he explains. Lalith would spend time till January every year playing chess and would take the next three months to catch up on his academic syllabus.

“Thankfully, I have been blessed with a good memory. Two-three months of preparation was enough for me to excel in academics,” Lalith says. He enrolled himself into a private institution for his Class X exams and appeared for the boards securing 69 per cent. “I would take tuitions for Maths and Science. My friends also helped me with textbooks. Although, I loved and still love chess, I could not ignore my studies,” he says.

In 2011, Lalith enrolled in Intermediate classes taking math, physics and chemistry but later switched to commerce, economics and civics as the hectic schedule put breaks in his chess practice. “I wanted to appear for both years at one go. Taking MPC required that I clear a few practical exams. I found it difficult to toggle between chess and studies. It was then my mother suggested the shift,” says Lalith, who secured 70 per cent in his exams.

“The principal and lecturers of my college helped me a lot. They took special classes and assisted me with important subjects”, he appreciates. Lalith later pursued his BCom in P B Siddhartha College. “I studied there only for two years. The college had a semester system and here again attendance was compulsory. I had to appear as a private candidate. But I completed my graduation with 55 per cent,” Lalith says. The whiz kid is looking to pursue MBA and cherishes dreams of being a world champion. “I wish to continue my studies and will train hard to win the world title,” he says, signing off.

By:Navin Pivhal