Adarsh Tripathi becomes the latest International Master from Uttar Pradesh

Two IM-norms and 2400+ in a month

"My elder sibling, Aditya, who is 4 years elder to me, used to play chess. While he was once attempting to break into the “chessˮ scene, he eventually decided to leave it behind to pursue academics more seriously. However, he and my dad used to play a lot of chess at home, and to this day, I still remember how intense their games were, almost as if they were playing a World Championship match!

At the age of 6, shortly after my brother called it quits, I told my parents I wanted to give the game a try. They were shocked, since I was more suited for the circus, but they still let me play and registered me at the local club." - Adarsh Tripathi's footsteps towards chess.

"Honestly, after all the close calls and last-minute missed opportunities, missing a norm by half a point, unfavorable pairings, getting sick while being in a favorable position for a norm, it was a huge relief. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. All the effort, energy, and expenditure I had poured into this goal since childhood didnʼt go to waste. I screamed with joy, feeling on top of the world for the first 3-4 days. But then, reality hit. I realized that the world keeps moving, the sun continues to shine, and Morpheus wasnʼt about to step in and recruit me into the Matrix. Now, I'm happy to have achieved this milestone, but that's exactly what it is, a milestone. It's a major one, but I have even bigger goals ahead, like the very ambitious GM title. Let's hope I can focus better and fix the significant shortcomings that are holding me back from getting there!" - Adarsh Tripathi.

First IM-norm: Brno Open IM Round Robin 2023

Adarsh scored his first IM-norm at Brno Open IM Round Robin 2023. He defeated IM Jarsolav Bures (CZE), drew with IM Neklan Vyskocil (CZE) and IM Diego Del Rey (ESP). He scored an unbeaten 7/9, performed at 2454, gained 29.2 Elo rating points and secured an overall second place finish.

Adarsh - Fiala, Round 2

Adarsh Tripathi (2327) wanted fireworks in his game against Vaclav Fiala (CZE, 2253) and he got it when his opponent played 18...Bg5 19.Rxg5 hxg5 20.Qxg5 Qe7 21.Qg3 and White went on to win the game.

Second IM-norm: Slovakia Open Piestany 2024

Eight months later, Adarsh scored his second IM-norm at Slovakia Piestany Open 2024. He defeated IM Tomas Kraus (CZE), drew with GM Helgi Ass Gretarsson (ISL), IM Jonasz Baum (POL), IM Stepan Hrbek (CZE) and IM Valentin Buckels (GER). Adarsh scored 5.5/9 to earn his second IM-norm and also increased his Elo rating by 28.4 points.

Third IM-norm and Live rating 2400+: IM Swiss Mix Grocka 1 2024

Adarsh scored his final IM-norm and crossed 2400 in live ratings in three weeks at IM Swiss Mix Grocka 1 in Serbia. He made a fantastic 6.5/7 start. Adarsh defeated GM Sinisa Drazic (SRB) drew with GM Dejan Pikula (SRB) and GM Miodrag R Savic (SRB). He scored 7/9, earned his third IM-norm, performed at 2530, gained 36 Elo rating points to cross 2400 in the live ratings, become an International Master and also won the tournament.

Adarsh - Suleymanli, Round 5

Adarsh (2368) made a beautiful knight sacrifice 19.Nxd5! against FM Suleyman Suleymanli (AZE, 2290). 19...exd5 20.e6! The key point behind White's knight maneuver. Check out his analysis to understand his thought process and how he won the game.

"Born and raised in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, I play for the UP Chess Association. There hasn't been much of a chess culture here, especially before the COVID chess boom. It used to shock people to their core that someone could pursue this professionally. However, post-COVID, things have changed. The game is growing, and a culture is beginning to build.

For ages, there was only one IM from UP, the legendary IM Dinesh Sharma.

But now, Vantika Agrawal has started representing UP as an IM, becoming the second, and I managed to become the third.

This progress is exciting, and we have more talented players coming up. Building a strong chess culture takes time, but with the support of platforms like ChessBase India and the diverse network within Indian chess, things are rapidly improving." - Adarsh Tripathi on where he hails from and the chess scene there.

Adarsh on his coaches

"My first coach was the local legend, FM Prasenjit Dutta Sir.

Shortly afterward, he arranged one-on-one sessions for me with Trilokya Nanda sir, who helped shape me as a chess player in my early days. Later, Prasenjit Sir also worked with me individually.

I must give special thanks to Puneet Jaiswal sir, with whom I worked extensively after crossing the 1800 mark until I reached 2100.

Additionally, during my childhood, Sanjay Jena uncle (IM Rakesh Jenaʼs father) played a significant role in my development. He helped arrange daily training sessions with strong Odia coaches like Satya Ranjan Pattnaik, Rajendra Kumar Sahu, and Satyabrat Kar. Those sessions taught me what chess truly is and helped me progress from a 1300 to an 1800-rated player.

I must also mention IM Raja Ravishekhar and the late IM Varugeese Koshy, with whom I had the privilege of attending multiple in-person training sessions during my childhood.

Their guidance greatly contributed to shaping me into the player I am today. I still vividly remember not just their teachings, but also their unwavering passion for endgames.

There are many others, coaches, friends, and even strangers whom I havenʼt managed to name, but I am equally grateful to them for their support along the way."

"Most of it has been all me, and perhaps that's why there were several hiccups along the way. However, I worked briefly with Grandmaster Davorin Kuljašević this year (10-15 sessions), which taught me a lot about what chess professionalism truly looks like.

During the pandemic era, I also worked extensively with my coach and friend, Grandmaster Pouya Idani.

Credits where due, my great friend (quite an understatement! International Master Kushager Krishnater has also helped me with many things - whether itʼs moral support, general guidance and discussions, or assisting with opening preparation Untitled 1 whenever required. His recommendations and direction are among the major reasons why I was able to comfortably secure the draw “requiredˮ for the norm at the PIEŠŤANY Open." - Adarsh Tripathi on whom he is currently working with.

Is Adarsh a full-time chess professional?

"I'm a full-time chess professional, or at least I like to think I am. My recent work has been as an author; I have a course on Chessable and TheChessWorld, with more projects planned for both. Iʼm also writing a book with a major publisher, but since itʼs still in the initial stages, Iʼll leave it at that.

Iʼve also worked extensively with Magnus Academy/Silver Knights, contributing through writing and providing lectures. Theyʼve offered me many great opportunities. Most recently, I covered the Ding vs. Gukesh World Championship with them, where I had the chance to interact with enthusiastic and talented chess players from the U.S. The team is fantastic to work with and is doing an incredible job promoting chess at the grassroots level in the U.S. and worldwide through their online academy.

Even with all of this, I like to think of my primary day job as working on my own chess. Iʼm serious about this GM title, and Iʼve never been this determined. Whether or not it translates into anything, Iʼm going to give it my absolute best."

What's next for you?

"Write more, play more, and have more fun! I truly enjoy what Iʼm doing. As Iʼve said many times already, Iʼm chasing the GM title while also pursuing my other passion: chess instruction. I plan to keep writing, recording, and teaching chess to inspire and help others learn this beautiful game.

I also co-founded a small, self-funded chess charity called the Chesster Organisation with my school friend (more like a brother!) Yash Srivastava. Itʼs a non-profit that helps promote chess at the grassroots level. Unfortunately, I wasnʼt able to balance everything, which put several projects on hold. However, Iʼm determined to restart the initiatives we had begun, including organizing free chess camps for underprivileged kids. We distributed chess sets, books, and most importantly, shared the beauty of chess with them!

Itʼs an ambitious project, and I know I need to improve the logistics, but I believe we can achieve much more than what weʼve already done!

Since weʼre concluding this, I realize I havenʼt mentioned this yet—the most important people! A HUGE THANK YOU to my parents, my dad, Yogesh Tripathi, and my mom, Sunita Tripathi, as well as my elder brother, Aditya Tripathi. They are the reason Iʼve been able to achieve anything, no matter how small, and if I manage to accomplish anything else in the future, it will be entirely thanks to them.

PS: At the risk of not sounding too cheesy, I genuinely appreciate ChessBase India for their efforts in promoting chess and making it more accessible, popular, and user-friendly. The discounted pricing of ChessBase (the holy grail of chess preparation), Mega Database, and other books and software REALLY makes the journey as a professional much easier. Iʼm not just saying this, you can probably find this in the records, but Iʼve been an extremely active ChessBase India shopper. I even have the CB India chess sets! :p"

Check out Adarsh's best games selected and annotated by himself

Adarsh's best achievements

Adarsh Tripathi has earned quite a few accolades in his chess career so far. Here are the best ones:

• Silver - Commonwealth Under-12 Open 2017

• Champion - IM Swiss Mix Grocka 1 2024

• Champion - Olomouc Chess Summer 2023 B2 Sportclub A64 Cup

• Runner-up - Brno Open 2023, IM Round Robin 12th International Chess Festival

• Champion - Uttar Pradesh State Under-20 2021

• Champion - Delhi State Rapid 2017

• Runner-up - Delhi State Amateur 2017

• Runner-up - Delhi State Under-11 Open 2016

• Runner-up - Delhi State Under-9 Open 2014

• Second Runner-up - Delhi State Under-25 Open 2019

Replay Adarsh's games