NEW DELHI: The COVID-19 outbreak had not yet caused a hullabaloo across the globe, Lionel Messi was still without a FIFA World Cup title, artificial intelligence (AI) had not entered everyday conversations, and Russia and Ukraine were still “non-hostile” neighbours when Nagpur’s Raunak Sadhwani attained his Grandmaster (GM) title in 2019.At 13 years nine months and 28 days, Raunak earned the highest title in chess, becoming one of the youngest Indians to achieve the feat. In the record book, he joined the likes of current World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju (12 years, 7 months and 17 days), Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (12 years, 10 months and 13 days), and Nihal Sarin (14 years, 1 month and 1 day).
As Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa remain the top two names in the current FIDE rating list for juniors, Raunak, currently stationed at number eight, is not too far behind.Well, all he can recall about pursuing the GM title is the pressure during the first norm.“I was never bothered about the GM title. I’ve always felt that I would get there,” Raunak told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive conversation on the sidelines of the Global Chess League (GCL), currently taking place in Mumbai. “But my first norm was difficult. It took some time, and then it was really easy. I knew I belonged there. So I just kept playing and eventually got it.”However, the journey since then has not been easy. With the pandemic putting daily life to a standstill, and players not able to travel abroad to play in higher-rated tournaments, some players slowed down.While the likes of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Nihal are three of the most celebrated chess players in the country, Raunak is still figuring his way around.“I definitely have to improve more. I lost rating in the last six months, so I definitely want to get back and win some tournaments and get my ELO back. So I’m working on it,” added the 2638-rated 19-year-old, who achieved a peak rating of 2681 back in January 2025.Nevertheless, the plan to “definitely have to improve” requires a proper framework, guidance, and mentorship, which the teenager is currently struggling to afford due to what many consider the dark side of professional chess: the expense.While the chess ecosystem has evolved in a way where a player is made to bear all his/her expenditures, even hiring a full-time coach is proving to be a challenge due to the lack of adequate private sponsorship.“It’s a big problem in the game. Even I still face this issue myself. I don’t have a full-time coach right now because it’s really expensive. You need a sponsor for that, and I’m waiting for one,” he revealed.“At the moment, I don’t have any. So yeah, it’s a very expensive game. Coaching isn’t easy to afford because the rates are much higher compared to other sports. So yeah, it’s not very easy for people to manage it.”In GCL this season, Raunak is sharing the same team with five-time World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, 2025 FIDE World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov, and German talent Vincent Keymer.“It’s an interesting team with the likes of Viswanathan Anand sir, and everyone else is quite young, so I know them quite well myself. So it will be fun,” he further noted.Raunak sees the GCL as a preparatory step for the upcoming FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships, where he will take the field in Doha, Qatar.“It will be very good to stay in the flow. You’re playing rapid here and then immediately you go to Qatar to play rapid again. So it’s definitely a good warm-up to have,” the teenage Grandmaster concluded.
