chessbase india logo

Simultaneous Chess Exhibition with Grandmaster Sethuraman

by S Ramanathan - 19/02/2024

On Saturday 10th February, Kilpauk Chess Centre organized a Simultaneous exhibition against the reigning National champion GM S P Sethuraman. It was held at Bhavan's Rajaji Vidyashram in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 43 players got an opportunity to play against the former Asian champion and 41st Olympiad Bronze medalist. The Grandmaster won all his games in a little over five hours. The final score was 43-0 in favor of the GM. Even after the grueling exhibition, Sethuraman took the time to analyze games with the players. He also had a Q&A session with the players and parents. Check out the article written by a passionate chess enthusiast - S Ramanathan. Photos: S Ramanathan

Sethuraman scores 43-0

While the whole chess world is engrossed to know the outcome of Weissenhaus Freestyle G.O.A.T challenge, one GM quietly accepted an invitation for Simul with 43 chess aspirants to encourage them in their chess journey, yes GM S.P.Sethuraman the current national champion attended a simul with 43 chess aspirants with the help of Kilpauk Chess Centre at Bhavan’s Rajaji Vidyashram in Chennai on 10th February 2024.

Simul with GM Sethuraman poster

The event started with traditional “Thamizh Thai Vazhthu”, after which GM S P Sethuraman gave a brief intro about his chess journey in which he explained how Vishy Anand was his hero and how nervous he was when he first faced him in a simul and also first-time in a competition – both the results were not in his favor, but when he faced him for the second time in a competitive tournament he was able to make a draw due to his learnings from the previous two encounters.

GM Sethuraman's long list of accolades getting announced

Likewise he played simul with GM Sasikaran with whom he made a draw and R B Ramesh which encouraged him to have chess as his first priority. Since he was part of these simul’s during his younger days which encouraged him to shine in this field, he hoped he can pass on this heritage to another chess player so that one of the participants will be able to take the experience of this simul today to become a champion in the future. He went on to explain how GM Sasikaran became a teammate and R B Ramesh became a coach to him at a latter point of time in his carrier, all this is possible with longterm objectives and goals in chess. He also explained about his parents' contribution and the sacrifices they have made for him to achieve this success. He then had a Q&A session with players as well as parents who were allowed to be seated inside the tournament hall behind the players. What was encouraging to see was in such a crowded atmosphere also there was pin drop silence, everyone understood the objective of this simul and it was conducted in a well organized manner in an A/C hall with snacks for the children.

Sethuraman sharing his various life experiences, showcased in photographs

Sethuraman playing simultaneous exhibition games

The simul started exactly at 4:30 p.m. as informed to the parents and there was no time limit for the simul as close to 43 chess aspirants were present to make it a success. All 43 players were seated in a usual rectangular form. GM S P Sethuraman began moving around the tables and making the moves, since there was no time limit, it was expected that some of the matches will go on for few hours.

Sethuraman pondering over a position

After an hour, eight games were over and GM S P Sethuraman went around the table like a hawk with the obsession of only chess in his mind, At the end of the second hour 14 games were over, some of the players present had a FIDE rating of 1300 plus with the highest being 1700, hence some stiff competition was expected. He had a sip of water in these two hours and never even looked anywhere else around the hall except for the chess board. People who know him well understand that he is one of those players who talks very less and doesn’t do anything else when a chess game is in front of him, that feeling was very evident and everyone in the playing hall will vouch for that.

Sethuraman in deep thought

At the end of the third hour, 22 games were going on and some of the players really thought they had a chance with him, but his determination grew higher and higher as the number of boards decreased and he began to concentrate more on tougher boards and spent less time on the not so tough ones and calculated his moves to perfection, again he did not even sit for one single second and went around the hall like a determined soldier who will stop at nothing until all games are over.

Spectators watch Sethuraman in action

All the games were completed by 9:45 P.M -  a simul for 5 hours and 15 minutes and the score line was 43-0, imagine the work ethics of a chess player who gave it all for the love of this game, he could have messed up a position or could have made a blunder via lapse of concentration, but he was determined and considered every game as a FIDE rated game and made the best moves on all boards irrespective of the position. What was really encouraging to see was even after the grueling long simul, he had the time and more importantly energy to clarify few opponents who had questions about their moves and gave them advice and also signed autographs and posed for pics with a smile.

Sethuraman interacting with players and parents after the simul

People like GM S P Sethurman are very rare, part of a rare breed who have given their entire life to this lovely game of chess. Thanks to his father, the founder of Kilpauk Chess Centre, Mr. Panayappan for organizing such a nice event to encourage youngsters.

About the Author

S Ramanathan works at a private company in Chennai, really passionate about chess and to write/read/speak about the latest happenings in the chess universe. He taught his 10-year-old son chess at the age of five who is now a rated player and chess has now become an integral part of their life.


Related news:
Harikrishnan dominates 5th Capa Chess Academy Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 22/10/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Semetei Tologon Tegin triumphs at 30th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

@ 20/10/2024 by R Srivatsan (en)
Imran triumphs at 29th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

@ 12/10/2024 by M Ephrame (en)
Sriram Adarsh Uppala convincingly wins 28th Tamil Nadu IM-norm CC 2024, Dhruva second and Aakash third

@ 05/10/2024 by S Paul Arokia Raj (en)
Evgeniy Podolchenko wins 27th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Sriram Adarh Uppala third

@ 02/10/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Akshay Borgaonkar dominates 26th Tamil Nadu IM-norm CC 2024, Harshit Pawar second and Harshad third

@ 30/09/2024 by V Vijayaraghavan (en)
Aarav A and Pavithra R V are 36th Tamil Nadu State Under-11 Open and Girls 2024 Champions

@ 26/09/2024 by S Ramanathan (en)
Sriram Adarsh Uppala superb at 25th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

@ 13/09/2024 by M Ephrame (en)
Hari Ganesh clinches Adyar Times Rating Open for the second consecutive year

@ 12/09/2024 by S Paul Arokia Raj (en)
David Gochelashvili wins 24th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Kunal M second

@ 08/09/2024 by V Vijayaraghavan (en)
Shashveen A K triumphs at 14th Modern School Rating Tournament 2024

@ 06/09/2024 by S Ramanathan (en)
Harshad S dominates 23rd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

@ 04/09/2024 by R Srivatsan (en)
Arjun Adireddy convincingly clinches 22nd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Harshad third

@ 15/08/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
Aakash G wins 21st Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Manigandan second

@ 08/08/2024 by S Paul Arokia Raj (en)
Laxman R R wins Chairman's Trophy Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 03/08/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Ajay Karthikeyan wins Muralimohan Memorial 4th Capa Chess Academy Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 29/07/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
G Nigash and Keerti Shree Reddy become Tamil Nadu State Junior Open and Girls 2024 Champions

@ 19/07/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
Vaibhav Suri victorious at 2nd RCMIC Rotachess Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 18/07/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Umashankar dominates Visalakshi - Arunachalam 8th SCS Rating Open 2024

@ 30/06/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
14-year-old Aakash G clinches 74th Tamil Nadu State Open Rating 2024 convincingly

@ 12/06/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
T Nagar Chess Academy invites you to 2nd RCMIC Rotachess Rapid Rating Open 2024 offering 6 lacs prizes

@ 09/06/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Aakash and Vaishnavi are Tamil Nadu State Under-15 Open and Girls 2024 Champions

@ 06/06/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
Pranav Ganesh Prabhu and Nivedita V C are 36th Tamil Nadu State Under-13 Champions 2024

@ 01/06/2024 by Vinoth M (en)
Hari Madhavan best at 8th BBCF Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 26/05/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Nandish and Shanmathi are Tamil Nadu State Under-17 2024 Champions

@ 21/05/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
Sham R dominates 2nd Dr. KCG Verghese Memorial Rating Open 2024

@ 19/05/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Kunal M wins 1st Vidhya Sagar Rating Open 2024

@ 15/05/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Kushagra Mohan wins 20th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

@ 13/03/2024 by R Srivatsan (en)
Anton Sitnikov triumphs at 19th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Avinash Ramesh second

@ 09/03/2024 by R Srivatsan (en)
Karthik Rajaa wins 1st Nallu Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 06/03/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
P Shyam Nikhil wins 18th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Aakash G third

@ 02/03/2024 by R Srivatsan (en)
Srihari L dominates 17th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Sai Vishwesh third

@ 01/03/2024 by M Ephrame (en)
Anton Sitnikov wins 16th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Lokesh second and Suyog third

@ 22/02/2024 by M Ephrame (en)
Anton Sitnikov triumphs at 15th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Karthik Rajaa second

@ 21/02/2024 by V Vijayaraghavan (en)
Kunal M conquers CMI Tessellate Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 14/02/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Senthil Maran wins 1st Battle Field Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 13/02/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Bharath Subramaniyam H perfect at 7th BBCF Rapid Rating Open 2024

@ 12/02/2024 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Karthik Rajaa and Lokesh N are the winners of 13th and 14th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024

@ 02/02/2024 by V Vijayaraghavan (en)
Hemanth Raam clinches 11th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2024, Harsh Suresh third

@ 01/02/2024 by M Ephrame (en)
Srihari L R superb at 14th Chennai GM Open 2023, Aakash G third

@ 18/01/2024 by R R Vasudevan (en)
Sahil Sanjay Shejal convincingly clinches Velammal Hospital 3rd Athens of the East Below 1600 Rating 2023

@ 09/01/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
Tharig S triumphs at Velammal Hospital 3rd Athens of the East Below 1700 Rating Tournament 2023

@ 08/01/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
Duc Hoa Nguyen triumphs at 3rd Athens of the East GM Open 2023, Srihari L R second and Nitin third

@ 04/01/2024 by R Anantharam (en)
Srihari L R triumphs at 1st SA Castle Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 26/12/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Alexei Fedorov wins 10th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023, Suyog Wagh second

@ 22/12/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Syed Anwar Shazuli triumphs at 1st KPK-ABCCC Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 18/12/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
David Gochelashvili wins 9th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023

@ 17/12/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Alexei Fedorov dominates 7th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023, Sai second and Arjun Adireddy third

@ 02/12/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Alexei Fedorov terrific at 6th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023, Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy third

@ 25/11/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Arnav Maheshwari wins 5th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023

@ 19/11/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Nandhidhaa wins 4th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023, Srihari L second

@ 12/11/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Harikrishnan A Ra dominates D A V Krida Kendram Blitz Rating Open 2023

@ 11/11/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Ajay Karthikeyan wins D A V Krida Kendram Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 11/11/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Back to back GM Tournaments in Madurai and Chennai

@ 10/11/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Arjun Adireddy dominates 3rd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed 2023 with a 2709 performance, Harsh second

@ 07/11/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Prasannaa S triumphs at 1st Rainbow Chess Academy Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 01/11/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Dinesh Rajan M wins 2nd Nanban CEG Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 01/11/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Asylbek Abdyzhapar triumphs at 2nd Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023, Srija Seshadri third

@ 30/10/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Praveen Kumar C wins 1st Hindustan Chess Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 28/10/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Harshad wins 1st Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit 2023, Srihari L second

@ 23/10/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Harikrishnan A Ra dominates 1st Smart Chess Academy Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 17/10/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Tamil Nadu to host 50 IM-norm Closed Circuit tournaments

@ 15/10/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Hari Madhavan N B wins 2nd SRM Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 10/10/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Castle Red invites you to 2nd Nanban CEG Rapid Rating Open 2023 offering ₹3 lacs prizes

@ 09/10/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
School boy Hari Ganesh lifts 21st Adyar Times Rating Open 2023 Trophy

@ 18/09/2023 by S Paul Arokia Raj (en)
Velammal Nexus felicitates Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa with ₹20 lacs cash award each

@ 15/09/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Harikrishnan A Ra clinches VHNSN College Rapid Rating Open 2023 with a perfect 9/9

@ 14/09/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Kunal M and Bharath Subramaniyam win GM Chess 1st Rapid and Blitz Rating Open 2023

@ 13/09/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Harsh Suresh wins Muralimohan Memorial 2nd Capa Chess Academy Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 15/08/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Laxman clinches 2nd Athens of the East Blitz Rating Open 2023

@ 05/08/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Vishnu wins Golden Jubilee of Sivakasi Chess Club, NPSS Rathina Nadar - Dr. N Mahalingam Rating Open 2023

@ 30/07/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Arjun Kalyan wins Chairman's Trophy Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 28/07/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Ram S Krishnan wins Sivakasi Chess Club NPSS Rathina Nadar Dr. N Mahalingam Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 13/07/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Vijay Shreeram P clinches 2nd SSS Rating Open 2023

@ 26/06/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Sivakasi Chess Club celebrates 50th year - Triple Tournament Treat for the Chess Lovers

@ 23/06/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Srihari L clinches Visalakshi Arunachalam 7th SCS Rating Open 2023 with a perfect 8/8

@ 23/06/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Sethuraman S P wins Rotachess Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 21/06/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Rotachess Rapid Rating Open 2023 R1-4: Haridev stuns Karthik

@ 17/06/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Harshad and Harikrishnan triumph at 1st Kanyakumari Parents Forum Rapid and Blitz Rating Open 2023

@ 13/06/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Harikrishnan clinches May Day Celebration Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 07/06/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
T Nagar Chess Academy invites you to RCMIC Rotachess Rapid Rating Open 2023 offering ₹5.55 lacs prizes

@ 01/06/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Ajay Karthikeyan clinches 1st RCA Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 08/04/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Senthil Maran wins 1st Xaverian Rating Open 2023

@ 25/03/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Harikrishnan clinches 34th KCF Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 11/03/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
A cakewalk for Phani Kanuri of AP at 1st Tirupattur Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 07/03/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Laxman triumphs at CMI Tessellate Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 02/03/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Arul Anandh wins 3rd Little England Rating Open 2023 with a round to spare

@ 15/02/2023 by R Anantharam (en)
Harikrishnan dominates Velammal Republic Day Celebration Rapid Rating Open 2023

@ 06/02/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Pranesh wins 1st ENS Rapid Rating Open 2023 and a brand new TVS Raider-125 Bike

@ 31/01/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Muthaiah Al triumphs at Tirumala Tirupati Rapid Rating Open 2022

@ 23/11/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Ilamparthi A R wins Mrs. Meera Memorial Rapid Rating Open 2022

@ 22/11/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Nitin and Rathanvel win D A V Krida Kendram Rapid and Blitz Rating Open 2022

@ 13/11/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Kunal clinches Hatsun - Idhayam 6th SCS Rating Open 2022

@ 20/10/2022 by R Anantharam (en)
Kunal wins 1st SRM Rapid Rating Open 2022 featuring 575 players

@ 16/10/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Harshad wins Azure All India Rapid Rating Open 2022

@ 13/10/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Mitrabha, Murali Krishnan and Koustav are the winners of 44th Olympiad Celebration Rating Open events

@ 30/08/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Vishnu Prasanna clinches Olympiad Curtain Raiser Rapid Rating Open with a perfect 9/9

@ 23/08/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Tamil Nadu State Government awards ₹1 Crore each to the Bronze medal winning Indian teams

@ 11/08/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Laxman and Nitin win GRT Shasun Jain College Rapid and Blitz Rating Open 2022

@ 29/07/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Hrithickkesh Pr dominates Dr. KCG Verghese Memorial Rating Open 2022

@ 25/07/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Chess Grad wins 1st CEG Trophy State level Open Team 2022

@ 18/05/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Ramnathan Balasubramaniam wins 1st SSS All India Rating Open 2022

@ 16/05/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Golden Knights Chess Academy A scores a hat-trick at 28th Tamil Nadu State Team Rating 2022

@ 09/05/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Pranav Venkatesh wins 1st BCF Rapid Rating Open 2022

@ 14/04/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Laxman R R wins 1st Vellore Rapid Rating Open 2021

@ 11/01/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
IM Harikrishnan A Ra wins Sivakasi Chess Club Rapid Rating Open

@ 14/12/2021 by R Anantharam (en)
Tamil Nadu State Government felicitates players with 1 crore 98 lacs cash award

@ 09/10/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
15 वर्षीय प्रणव बने तामिलनाडु राज्य शतरंज विजेता

@ 07/04/2021 by Niklesh Jain (hi)
Pranav V wins 68th Tamil Nadu State Open 2021 with a 100% score 9.0/9

@ 07/04/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
68th Tamil Nadu State Open: Pranav V takes sole lead 6.0/6

@ 31/03/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Sivakasi Chess Club and Covid-19

@ 19/02/2021 by R Anantharam (en)
Adhiban, Sethuraman, Gukesh, Laxman and Nandhidhaa receive Outstanding Sportsperson award by Tamil Nadu government

@ 11/02/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Aravindh wins Karaikudi Grand Prix Rapid Rating Open

@ 06/02/2020 by R Anantharam (en)
Laxman wins 2nd Open Rapid Rating at Trichy

@ 11/01/2020 by R Anantharam (en)
IM Harikrishnan wins Ramco 2nd FIDE Rated Open 2019

@ 16/12/2019 by R Anantharam (en)
Vaishali wins Sivakasi Grand Prix Open Rapid

@ 28/11/2019 by R Anantharam (en)
IM Arjun Kalyan and Pranav Venkatesh win Velammal Rapid and Blitz

@ 12/11/2019 by R Anantharam (en)
Balasubramaniam wins 19th Adyar Times Open for a record fourth time

@ 13/10/2019 by S Paul Arokia Raj (en)
Manigandan wins 15th KCM Open

@ 08/10/2019 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Sabarish triumphs at Rotary 100 years Celebration open

@ 04/10/2019 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
IM Khusenkhojaev wins Courtalam Saaral FIDE Rated Open

@ 18/09/2019 by R Anantharam (en)
Raahul V S triumphs at Talent Chess Academy 1st Open Rating

@ 02/09/2019 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
Courtalam Saaral International Rating Open Preview

@ 25/08/2019 by R Anantharam (en)
Karthikeyan Murali wins 1st A S Subbaraman Memorial Trophy Blitz Rating 2019

@ 23/08/2019 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
R Balasubramaniam wins Thalavaipuram All India Open

@ 22/08/2019 by R Anantharam (en)
Chess Bonanza in Tamil Nadu

@ 16/05/2019 by R Anantharam (en)

Contact Us