A Talk with India’s Parimarjan Negi

GM Parimarjan Negi battling GM Alexander Ivanov.
Photo by Daaim Shabazz.

Fifteen-year old Parimarjan Negi of India has been watched that last couple of years since he broke the national record by becoming the nation’s youngest Grandmaster ever. He is also the second youngest in history trailiing only Sergey Karjakin (12 years, 7 months). I had a chance to interview Negi at the 2008 World Open and what stands out about him is his humility and genuine personality.

Negi has recently won three tournaments in a row: Kaupthing Open in Luxemburg (clear 1st), Philadelphia International (clear 1st) and the recently-ended World Open (joint 1st). In his initial visit to the U.S., he had made an impression with his steady play and cites his wins over GMs Alexander Shabalov and Viktor Michalevski as his best wins.

The soft-spoken GM is sponsored by Tata Corporation and has sought the services of several coaches: GMs Nigel Short (Great Britain), Vladimir Chuchelov (Belgium) and Lev Psahkis (Israel). He has identified Viswanathan Anand is a strong influence.

On right: Parimarjan with father, J.B. Singh. Photo by Jennifer Shahade.