Working with coach Vishnu Prasanna fast-tracked GM Aarav’s rise

It was a long time coming but Aarav Dengla achieved the Grandmaster title in style with a triumph recently. The 16-year-old from Mumbai won the GM Mix Bijeljina tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina to become India’s 93rd Grandmaster.

After earning his first GM norm at an event in Bosnia and Herzegovina back in 2022, he clinched his second at a tournament in Croatia last year. Taking to the game at the age of five, Aarav quickly impressed many with his talent. He soon came under the wings of Pravin Thipsay, the country’s third GM, and the seeds for success were sown.

“Even as he trained under Thipsay, he began playing tournaments and winning them,” Aarav’s mother Shipra Dengla told The Hindu.

Considering his rapid rise and the apparent lack of training facilities in Mumbai, Aarav’s family periodically visited Chennai to work with GM Vishnu Prasanna, a noted coach. “Working with Vishnu, in my opinion, was a turning point when it came to the understanding of chess and life… Vishnu is an alchemist who can bring in a lot of difference in multiple areas, not just the technical parts of chess. So, we owe a lot to him.”

At Vishnu’s chess school, Aarav got to interact with World champion D. Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi and bonded well with them.

For Aarav, his father Manoj, a CA rank holder and a Harvard Business School alumnus, has been a huge inspiration and role model. Apart from excelling at chess, the country’s newest GM is proficient in academics. And, Shipra emphasised the importance of balancing education and the chosen sport.

“I clearly remember there were multiple players who were extremely talented but somewhere people lost intensity. I just wish that more people are able to take the chance, give more time to their children, without judgement, and be there for them,” she signed off.