A Trip Worth Remembering
Before heading to the Catalan Circuit, Shaurya had a challenging outing in Azerbaijan that cost him valuable rating points. Deciding to play with zero pressure, Shaurya competed in Sitges, Badalona, and Sants. What followed was a dream run, a spectacular gain of over 400 Elo points and a maiden IM norm in a massive field of 300+ players at the Sants Open. ChessBase India caught up with the young talent to decode his mindset and journey.
Interview with ChessBase India
Devansh Singh: How did your chess journey start?
Shaurya Chaudhary: I started playing chess during COVID times in 2021. With nothing to do, I created an account on Chess.com and started playing, and then began taking online coaching from IA Rupesh Kumar.
Devansh Singh: I saw you as a young kid playing in rapid and blitz tournaments all the time. Did that help you in building a strong fighting character?
Shaurya Chaudhary: I played in many rapid and blitz tournaments as a kid simply because there are many of them in Delhi and its surrounding areas. At that time, the aim was just to play as much as possible.
Devansh Singh: Just before the Spain trip, you went to Azerbaijan and lost quite a few rating points. How did you come back from that?
Shaurya Chaudhary: Yes, I had gone to Azerbaijan to play two tournaments. The first one went quite decently, but the second one had two devastating, perhaps tournament-ruining mistakes in one day (one of which I have analyzed below). After the event, I changed my coach and decided to play in Spain with no pressure.
Devansh Singh: During the Catalan Circuit, which tournaments did you play and which was your favorite?
Shaurya Chaudhary: I played three tournaments in the Circuit, one in Sitges, one in Badalona, and one in Sants. While I enjoyed all three, the tournament in Sants particularly stood out to me because not only was it a huge event with more than 300 participants, but it also turned out to be the tournament where I scored my first IM norm (there was a chance in Badalona too, but it didn’t materialize).
50 Open Internacional d'Escacs Vila de Sitges Grup A
50 Obert Internacional d'Escacs "Ciutat de Badalona" Grup A
XXVII Open Internacional de Sants - Ciutat de Barcelona - Grup A
The Game That gave him his 1st IM Norm!
Devansh Singh: Can you tell us if you're working with anyone currently?
Shaurya Chaudhary: Yes, right now I am working with GM Sanan Sjugirov from Russia. We started after my tournament in Azerbaijan, where I met him for the first time, and before I visited Spain.
Devansh Singh: Can you share with us your thoughts on your tremendous performance—increasing 400+ rating points and getting your first IM norm?
Shaurya Chaudhary: I think it’s important to work to stabilize that level, which I believe is essential after any jump of such stature. For now, my focus is also on completing my two remaining IM norms.
Devansh Singh: Would you like to thank anyone?
Shaurya Chaudhary: I would like to thank my family and school for supporting me, as well as all the coaches I worked with in the past and right now, such as GM Sanan Sjugirov, GM Abhijeet Gupta, IM Hemant Sharma, FM Prasenjit Dutta, and IA Rupesh Kumar (with whom I started chess).
Crossing the 2400 rating barrier and securing a maiden IM norm is a massive milestone in any chess player's journey. Shaurya’s incredible resilience to bounce back from a tough tournament and deliver such a dominant performance in Spain is truly commendable. We at ChessBase India congratulate the young talent on this spectacular feat and wish him the very best as he hunts down his remaining two IM norms!
