Full-time player and trainer, Akhilesh Nagare scores his first IM norm

Play-Teach-Inspire-Repeat

What is the journey of an athlete’s career? It typically begins in childhood, when they first start playing a particular sport. As they enter their teenage years, they focus on developing key skills. During adulthood, they master the sport and eventually, there comes a phase when the athlete retires from competition. At this point, many transition into coaching, passing on their knowledge and experience to help the next generation of athletes achieve their own success. However, there are some people who start coaching at a young age. Many young coaches often stop playing competitive chess and become full-time trainers. But it’s very rare to see a chess player playing competitive chess as well as ‘building’ strong chess players. Akhilesh Nagare is one such person.

It is said that the mark of a great player is not just in their victories, it’s in how they inspire and nurture the same in others. 26-year-old Akhilesh Nagare has been playing competitive chess since 2010. He has not only participated in several National Championships but has also left his mark in international tournaments. Whatever he has learned in his journey is passed on to more than 150 students through his coaching. What makes him unique is his mantra of improving his games and providing lessons accordingly. He completed his graduation in BCom but chose to fully dedicate himself to pursuing career in chess. 

Akhilesh earned his first IM norm at the XII Torneo Internacional Cidade de Pontevedra "Masters" Grupo A Tournament held in July in Spain. Read what he has to say about his journey. 

Sagar Shah (SS): Congratulations Akhilesh on scoring your first IM norm! When and where did you score it? Could you share more details about the event and your experience?

Akhilesh Nagare (AN): Thanks a lot Sagar! I scored my 1st IM Norm in the XII Torneo Internacional Cidade de Pontevedra "Masters" Grupo A Tournament. It was held between 24th July – 30th July in the beautiful city of Pontevedra in Spain. The tournament was held between 24th and 30th July. The tournament was very well organized and I was very impressed with the schedule: six rounds were scheduled at 5 pm local time and three-morning rounds were at 10 am. So, there was a sufficient gap between rounds. The organizer and the entire team were very friendly. The playing hall was spacious and there were 15 countries who participated in both categories. Unlike the previous year, the temperature of Pontevedra was hot this year. So, everyone struggled with the climate. Since I am used to such a climate, it wasn’t a big issue for me. The organizers also provided a bus service which was a very kind gesture from their side.

SS: How did it feel to score your maiden IM norm and also gain 175 Elo points from this event?

AN: The feeling was amazing! I scored the norm with a round to spare. In fact, till the 5th or 6th round, I was in the race to win the event. This norm and my overall performance validate the years of effort and support my family has given me. I come from a non-sports background, so this achievement proves that my parent’s decision not to force me into academics was the right one. Also, IM Sammed Shete made sure that I was in the right mindset during the second phase of the tournament. Gaining 175 points was indeed a big climb! This journey was tough but I improved in some areas which I feel helped me.

SS: What was your best game in this event?

AN: I feel I was lucky in some of the wins, as I was down in material but kept fighting and that helped me turn things around. But my favorite game from this event was the one against my good friend, IM Sammed Shete. We were staying in the same apartment. Generally, I never look forward to facing my roommate in a tournament, but when it happens, I accept it and enjoy that game, as it brings in unique dynamics. But these situations do not occur often.

SS: You are a full-time trainer as well as running an academy. Many people give up playing after starting their coaching career. How do you manage to balance both?

AN: I won’t say that I am a full-time trainer. I teach my students for approximately 3-4 hours every day. Yes, I have seen many people switch to full-time coaching. I think there is no such thing called balance as you keep on missing out on something or the other. I enjoy chess a lot so teaching at odd hours like 3 am is not an issue for me. I am fortunate to have a partner like Shashank Dhagdhage who takes care of all the tasks when I am not available. We have close to 100 students all across the globe and we have a team of 6 people to take care of them. Since it is an online chess club, we work remotely and everyone has their own schedules. My team is handpicked and all of them are very strong players who bring a wealth of experience to the table. They handle the challenges very well so I don’t have to worry about it. All our coaches have trained students who win tournaments regularly. This shows their passion for the game which they continue as a coach. My students and their parents have been extremely cooperative with my uncertain playing schedule. A few months, I paused training the students and started focusing on my game for some time. It was a tough call as some of the students are at a crucial stage in their journey. But my team takes care of them now.

SS: Who are the people who have helped you get stronger at chess, and whom would you like to thank for achieving this?

AN: My chess journey has been long and so is the list of people who have contributed to it! Firstly, my family. I will always be indebted to my parents who have been extremely supportive towards my chess journey. They have stood by me during tough times when things didn’t go my way. During the lockdown, we had to take a tough call on whether to continue chess or switch to something else. Fortunately, we all decided to stick to chess. My sister keeps pushing me to be more ambitious, my brother-in-law who constantly keep a check of how I am doing, and my Nephew is my stress buster. I have had many coaches, but the ones who have had a significant impact on me are: Praful Zaveri sir under whom I started my formal coaching in 2006-07, Prakash Gujrathi sir who instilled a curiosity for chess in me, CM Pawan Dodeja Sir with whom I trained with between 2017-18, during which he taught me different openings and how to prepare for games. His lessons are still with me and I am really grateful for that! FM Sajandas Joshi sir who is currently my mentor and he has helped me improve my positional understanding and decision-making. I cannot forget to mention my partner Shashank, who takes care of everything at the chess club. His support allows me to play freely without worrying about the club. Lastly, I would like to thank my Phoenix Chess Club Family, as I like to call it, which includes all the students and parents who continue to send their best wishes.

SS. What are your next goals and what are the next tournaments that you will play in?

AN: With the current rating of 2245 and the CM title, I am working on completing my IM title. It's going to be a tough journey and I am preparing for it. I will be playing in the Fagernes Autumn Tournament in Norway now, followed by Annemasse Masters in France. Apart from that, nothing is decided as of now.

Akhilesh, a fan of Lee Chong Wei might surprise you...

SS. Do you want to share something about your journey so far?

AN: I would like to mention the fun and insightful company I had during the tour with Shubham Kumthekar, along with IM Sammed Shete, IM Nitish Belurkar, CM Joel Paul Ganta, and Raihaan Zaahid, who joined us at various points. I had a great time with these people, and we created a lot of wonderful memories together. Also, I would like to thank you for all the books I got from ChessBase India, which have been instrumental in improving my chess understanding.