I had to ensure Harikrishnan coaching others didn’t affect his own game: GM Shyam

CHENNAI: In a fairly new academy in Kolathur, Chennai, run by Grandmaster (GM) Shyam Sundar, several promising talents have emerged in recent years. Among them are players like Srihari LR, and most recently, A Ra Harikrishnan, who became India’s 87th GM on Friday after drawing with compatriot P Iniyan in the final round of the La Plagne Chess Festival.

Harikrishnan earned his first GM norm at the Biel International Chess Festival in Switzerland, followed by a second at the Lince Andujar Chess event in June earlier this year.

He joined Shyam's tutelage in the latter part of 2022 and has since shown a strong passion not only for improving his own game but also for mentoring young chess players.

“I only had three or four players in my very first camp after starting the offline academy in 2021. He was among the first 10 students to join my classes,” Shyam told DT Next.

In his journey to becoming a GM, Harikrishnan had limited sponsorship support and managed a side hustle training young players. “He was coaching others even before he met me. And even after joining my academy, for about a year, he balanced both training others and focusing on his own improvement,” said Shyam.

However, Shyam insisted that Harikrishnan cut back on the number of coaching sessions he was taking, as it began affecting his own performance. “I told him to set a target for how much he wanted to earn per month. Once that threshold was met, he had to stop for the rest of the month.”

“I also gave him a fee concession when necessary because I believed in his potential. He was a strong player and I knew he could go far,” he added.

The move paid off, and Shyam soon noticed progress in Harikrishnan’s career. “There’s always a risk with coaching others, people often assume it could lower your own level of play. So I had to ensure that didn’t happen in his case,” he said.

Shyam also indirectly supported Harikrishnan by guiding him on how to train his students effectively, especially in certain techniques and areas of improvement.

Following Harikrishnan’s recent success, Shyam expressed confidence that three more players from his academy could become GMs by the end of the year.

“I don’t want to name them, it would feel like jinxing it. But I have three names in mind, and I hope at least two of them achieve the GM title this year,” he added.