University Days: The second year

2015: My first selection in the university chess team of 5. I was a sophomore then and the junior most player in the team. The team was chosen for All India Inter NIT chess meet which was scheduled at NIT Silchar. We did not have any pre-approved sports fund so we pooled the money together in a hope that it might be reimbursed later by the authorities. Well this wasn’t our main concern in the first place. The main thing was to reach Silchar from Srinagar. Taking the air route was definitely not an option. So we took a cab from Srinagar to Jammu and in the midnight, our cab driver fell asleep while driving and henceforth we crashed head-on into a truck. We all got injured. Again, the injuries weren’t our main concern. Our only focus was to catch that 9 am train which was scheduled to depart from Jammu. Somehow we were able to reach Jammu, thanks to the uncle who stood for the help.?

Long story short, we completed our 4 days train journey and managed to reach Silchar. Finally it was time for Chess!?

We came joint 4th and 6th in the TB rankings out of 18 NITs that participated.

My personal score was 2/3.?

For me the rankings have never been the primary concern. My objective has always been to enjoy the process. It is hard to not worry about the results but once you pass this phase, its a beautiful sight out there.

Stay tuned for the next....