Rahul Srivathshav becomes the 74th GM of India, 4th from Telangana
Sagar Shah (SS): First off, Congratulations on becoming India’s 74th GM! Where are you playing right now?
Rahul Srivatshav (RS): Thank you so much! I think it was long overdue- I’m pleased to finally achieve this title. I’m playing the Cattolica Open in Italy right now- this is the 3rd event on my trip. I achieved the rating requirement of 2500 with a draw today against GM Levan Pantsulaia.
SS: Please tell us a bit about yourself- where did you grow up, and what are you studying now?
RS: I’m 19 years old right now- I grew up in Hyderabad, Telangana. I went to the US last year- and I’m studying Economics right now at the University of Texas, Dallas. I just completed my first-year last month.
SS: When did you start playing chess, and how was your journey in becoming a GM?
RS: I started playing chess around 10-11 years ago- since then, I’ve been playing a lot of tournaments everywhere. I got my IM title in 2017. I got all my GM Norms by 2019- then the Pandemic hit worldwide, and I was unable to play tournaments. That’s when I decided to focus more on education- and finally broke through the 2500 Rating barrier today.
SS: What do you think was the barrier stopping you from achieving the GM title so far, and how did you overcome that?
RS: I always knew that I had the potential to be a Grandmaster- because I had good results against GMs, I got all my norms and was close to the 2500 mark. The problem was- I was not able to time my performances well. Once I took off my mind from that and started focusing on Academics, it helped a lot I think- I started to have better organization, had more focus, and was able to cross this bridge.
SS: How has your College been supporting your Chess Journey so far?
RS: My College has been really helpful actually- They give me a full scholarship, including my staying costs in the US. They also let me play tournaments freely- sometimes even covering my tournament expenses. There are a lot of Universities in the US that support Chess players like this- the University of Missouri, St. Louis University, Webster University, and so on. You just have to play for the University Team and get good grades in your exams.
SS: Who are the chess trainers you’ve worked with so far?
RS: So as of now, Our University Team coach is Filipino GM Julio Sadorra. My parents supported me a lot in this whole journey- my dad accompanied me everywhere while playing tournaments. My coach right now is GM Ernst Sipke from the Netherlands. Apart from that, Coach Rama Raju and Muralikrishna have helped me a lot throughout my Chess career.
From left- GM Ernst Sipke, Rama Raju, and Muralikrishna. These coaches helped Rahul to become who he is right now!
SS: What’s next for you Chess-wise? Any rating goals?
RS: I’ll continue playing a lot of tournaments- now that I’ve made GM, I’ll be experimenting with my openings a lot. I’ll be playing chess for the fun of it.
SS: Which school in India did you go to and what kind of support did you get there?
RS: From the 1st-9th Standard, I studied at the Sadhu Vaswani International School. They supported me a lot- with the School fees and playing tournaments in general. I had to leave the school after Class 9th- they couldn’t help me with the Board exams. After that, I joined NIOS and completed my education till the 12th Standard there. It was a lot easier in NIOS- you don’t have to go to the School, they send you the books and you just have to take the final exams.
SS: How do you prepare for your chess games?
RS: I like to follow Correspondence games because you can find a lot of new ideas there. Almost all of the Novelties in Top-level classical events are taken from Correspondence games. I don’t follow recent chess events as much these days- probably I should(chuckles). As for Chess books, I like books with lots of calculation exercises or Studies- for example, Dvorestky’s Analytical Manual helped me a lot.
SS: Are you excited about India hosting the Chess Olympiad?
RS: Absolutely! Along with the World Cup, the Chess Olympiad is probably the most fun event to follow. Such a large-scale event being hosted in Chennai is awesome- I do plan to visit during the Olympiad.
SS: What do you do in your free time- do you have any hobbies?
RS: I like to play Video games in my free time- Valorant is something which I’ve been playing for some time now. Apart from that, It’s mostly studying for my classes and hanging out with my friends.
SS: What is the thing you miss the most in the US?
RS: Apart from my parents, Indian food is the thing I miss the most. There is Indian food available in the US- but it’s not good at all for us Indians(smiles).
SS: Alright, Rahul, it was nice talking to you, best of luck with your chess and Academic ventures!
RS: Thank you so much!
