Interview with IM G.A. Stany

An open tournament has many variations: single rounds and double rounds. How do you cope with the tension?

I think in Open tournaments it is the initial four-five rounds that really matters, against lower rated opponents. Once you get across these rounds successfully, it becomes easier to face equal or higher rated players. It takes one-two days for me to get the proper sleep routine due to change in place and weather but it has got nothing to do with tournament tension.

How do you think chess has changed as a competition between two individuals in the past ten years you have played? Do you think it is tougher these days?

Yes, chess has changed drastically during the last ten years due to engines and the internet. Everybody has access to chess materials and it is easy to prepare. Although chess has become more challenging, it is still fun to play.

On an average, how many hours a day do you work on chess? What about physical training?

It depends on my mood actually, maybe on average around five hours at home. Funnily enough, my working hours in chess drastically increase during my college exam times! For physical training, I am going for Badminton games daily. I’ve recently joined a club at my place and it's having a positive effect so far.

Which is the best game of your career so far? In terms of playing style, whom do you associate yourself with?

The above one has been one my favorite games so far because I calculated really well and it's a very good example of playing with the “initiative”. About my playing style, I am still trying to figure out whom it resembles. Back in childhood, I was mainly attracted to the games of Capablanca because it was easy to understand his plans. So he influenced my play in younger days.

Here are some more games with notes my Stany for your perusal:

What is your thinking process like during a game? For example, the opponent makes a move and then, is there any routine you follow? Or is it all an intuitive dance, and boom! A move.

It's hard to pinpoint something because it differs from one situation to another. I would say it's the mixture of calculation and intuition. Pattern recognition also plays a huge role in the thinking process.

How do you react to losses in tournaments?

Generally, after a loss, I try to hang out with my chess friends or watch comedy movies to divert my attention from chess for the time being.

Stany surrounded by (clockwise) GM Lalith Babu, GM Deepan Chakkravarthy, GM Shyamsundar, IM Srinath Narayanan and Saravana Krishna

Many a trainer have promulgated that improvement comes from analyzing your losses. How do you work on your games, with respect to self-analysis? Do you have a 'method' to deal with it?

Analyzing our own game is highly recommended by all the strong players but it is definitely not an easy task -- I am still trying to learn the art of self-analysis myself, so I cannot answer much about it. What I have been doing so far was to show my games to my trainers and friends and get their views on it, which I think is also an effective way to improve.

What is your opinion about psychology in chess? During a game for example, do you sense a shift or anything of that sort, which helps you decide on your moves?

Psychology has a great a role in the game. I think at the higher level it plays a key role in terms of preparation. At our level, the significance of psychology is considerably lesser because many of the opponents would be unknown people to me. Most of the decisions over the board are taken from the practical point of view than the psychological point.

How did you enter chess? Do you remember how it happened?

Yes, I do remember. During some holidays, my uncle, in order to pass some time, started to teach chess to my elder brother Tony, and I was sitting next to them watching them play daily -- that's how I learnt the basics of the game. In the next couple of years, I regularly played chess with my relatives and used to beat them easily. Seeing my interest in the game, my mother decided to take me to a chess trainer in my city  Mr. Srikrishna Udupa. It all began from there.

You were a student of Srikrishna Udupa. Kindly describe his role in your chess career.

Mr. Srikrishna Udupa was my first chess coach and is still my mentor. He has his own academy known as Nalanda Chess Academy in my hometown Shimoga. It is very popular in Shimoga and among the chess circles in Karnataka. Mr. Udupa cannot see like normal people can due to his visual impairment; that said, he has great passion towards teaching chess and has taught it to more than a thousand students like me in Shimoga, charging a very nominal fee -- I think it was around Rs. 3000 rupees a year per student!

Do you work with a coach/player now?

Currently, I am being trained by IM V. Saravanan.

What is your goal as regards to chess? How do you intend to go ahead with your career in the coming years?

I am very confident that by the end of this year I will cross the 2500 barrier because I have been  working hard from the last six months and the results have been good so far.

There was a period in 2014-2015 when you went through quite a slump. In fact, after the Jalgaon National A, things haven’t been too rosy for you. What has been going wrong in this period?

During 2014-15, I lacked the motivation to work and was more focused towards education but it has changed now and things will surely improve.

That must feel good -- you are steadily climbing back. What are your tournaments for 2016? 

Yes, getting back to form and increasing rating always makes you feel happy and gives a lot of motivation to work harder. My next tournament would be the IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Open and then National Teams for Airport Authority of India. In April, I am planning to play two tournaments abroad -- exciting times ahead!

ChessBase India thanks IM G.A. Stany and wishes him bon voyage for his future endeavours!