The Goan Grandmaster And His Father

How a 14-year-old Goan chess player braved the pandemic in Europe and ended up as a Grandmaster... with a little help from his proud dad...

Transcript

00:00How the heck did he do that?

00:10We were in suspense by each turn man.

00:29In June, they lifted up the ban, at least for Budapest and one of the tournaments opened

00:37up.

00:38So he decided to play that tournament, which he ultimately won.

00:55During the first few tournaments where I had to wear a mask, it was irritating.

00:58But soon I got used to it.

01:00The glass visor isn't a big deal.

01:19He takes care of his chest part and I take care of everything else.

01:24We have never eaten a meal outside till date for two reasons.

01:28One thing is again the cost and second of all is the hygiene.

01:31For me, every penny matters.

01:33If I can save something, it comes in handy for another tournament.

01:42Vishy Anand whatsapped my father and he asked whether I wanted to see some chess with him.

01:48That was awesome.

02:06She said she'll give me the third one once I become a stronger player.

02:21Since we are not with our family, we didn't celebrate a lot and my dad cooks very well.

02:27Since we are in Italy, he made a pizza.

02:38They're beautiful trophies, which honestly for us mean a lot.

02:43And especially for him, these are memories which we will always cherish.

02:47So I wouldn't mind even compromising on other stuff.

02:51I wouldn't mind paying excess baggage also.