Arjun Erigaisi: To play chess well, you need to stay physically fit

What inspired you to start playing chess?

I started playing chess as a hobby. When I was young, I used to go swimming, and skating, and engage in a lot of other activities, but chess somehow stood out as something I liked the most among all of them. I started going to tournaments and started doing well. It was fun, I enjoyed it, and then I started going to more and more tournaments, and that is how I became a professional chess player.

What is the secret of the current Indian chess generation? There are so many great players coming from India right now.

One thing is definitely Vishy Anand, who has been a huge inspiration to many chess players in India, and many aspire to be like him. I met him a few times and we had a few online training sessions, and in a tournament, I got to play against him once in 2022. I lost the game, but I learned a lot from him.

What advice would you give to aspiring chess players who are just starting their journey?

The most important thing is to have fun. If you are not enjoying it, there is no point in playing. And if you are having fun, just keep playing.

What resources or tools do you recommend for beginners looking to learn and improve their chess skills?

This is something that I recently recommended to my sister: playing a lot of games is good, and also doing puzzles and tactics because it helps a lot.

Can you describe a typical day in your life, balancing chess practice with other activities?

Every day is different. I usually wake up around 11, and I go to the gym. After I am done, I start with chess. I usually spend some 6 to 8 hours playing chess. I take some breaks and play tennis or watch a movie. I go to bed late, around 3 or 4 in the morning. Gym and physical activity are really important for chess, to play well it is important to stay physically fit. Many players may not think that, but to me, it is. Because when you have the long hours in chess, it is very important to think the same way throughout the 7-8 hours of the game as you think in the first hours. I had a game in 2021 that I lost just because I ran out of steam. After that, it took me a while to understand how important staying fit is.

What specific skills and qualities do you believe children can develop through playing chess from a young age?

In my case, it helped with patience a lot. I used to be very impulsive and impatient. It also helps with memory.

Chess remains popular globally. Millions of people play every day. Why do you think this is so, and why is it crucial for governments and companies to invest in chess promotion?

The pandemic contributed a lot to the booming chess right now. For chess to be as big as other sports such as soccer or basketball, it is important for more and more companies to invest in it; it can also be good for their business.

This will be your first time playing in the Grand Chess Tour, Superbet Blitz & Rapid tournaments. What are your expectations?

I followed this tournament for several years, it has many great players, including Magnus, Vishy Anand. I am happy that I will be taking part in it this year and will give it my best. To keep developing, it is very important to play against strong opponents, and there are not many tournaments that offer this opportunity, this is definitely one of them.