I want to become a Super GM now, says Goa’s first GM Anurag Mhamal

Q: What does the title of a Grandmaster mean to you?rAnurag Mhamal: It is the highest title in the field of Chess. It has always been my dream since the age of six and it feels great on becoming a GM. But it is not the end of it and I am focused on my practice to getting further in the game. It is my highest achievement in the game and it feels awesome. rrQ: The tour of Europe helped you realise your dream. Tell us more …rAM: I began my European Tour on June 5 with Forni di Sopra in Italy. It went well, the games were excellent and I managed to finish third. At the start of the trip, I needed 34 points from the three tournaments to reach the magical 2500 mark to attain the GM title (completed the norms much earlier). Finishing third in Italy, I was quite satisfied and with it I gained 11 rating points to move to 2477. In the crucial penultimate round, I lost to an Ecuadorean GM, Matamoras Franco Carlos which got me slightly down. But in the last round, I won against an IM from Spain who had an Elo rating of 2489. In the next tournament in Spain, at the 27th Open Internacional de Gros Open, I gained 21 points. I started the tourney well, managing to take the lead from the beginning itself. I had decent quality games and managed to stay unbeaten in the tourney. Going into the penultimate round, I had a stutter, wherein things went slightly wrong, but I kept my cool to win the game. Going into the last round, I had a one-point lead and needed a draw to finish first which I secured. rrQ: Your previous tournament on tour was the Benasque Open (also in Spain) where you were on the cusp of the GM title and just 2 Elo points shy. How did you approach it?rAM: After the two tourneys, and calculating live ratings which is yet to be officially released by FIDE, I realized I needed only two more Elo points to get to 2500 in live ratings and become a GM. My first round was against a lower-rated player which went easily. In the next round, I played a Spaniard (2120) which was quite a struggle though not with a lot of pressure. After getting into situations, I somehow survived to draw. But it was like a bad game to me. After that game, I went with the idea of winning my ensuing rounds. I managed to recover in my next game after the difference being much from my last, where I lost lot of points. After winning the third, I needed to win the next two as well to attain the GM status. I won the fourth game quite easy against a Spanish player (2293) with the fifth round proving crucial to cross the 2500 mark. Here, I was up against, Milu Sorin Romeo (2383, Romania). The game stretched on for over four hours. A tough game, both of us played to our potential but I managed to keep my cool to convert from an almost equal position. rrQ: So did you realise you became a GM by the end of the fifth round of the Live FIDE ratings?rAM: I got the news from home that I completed the necessary points to become a GM. rrQ: But then, I understand your rating slid considerably. Did the accomplishment get the better of your subsequent performance in the tourney?rAM: That was not because of excitement or pressure. I did play some quality games thereon but accounting to time trouble issues I had my shortcomings which I need to work on. rrQ: What is your next goal?rAM: My main goal was always getting to 2600 to play at a professional level. The bottom line was not always the rating but the quality of the game and feeling good about it. rrQ: What have you chalked out as your forthcoming tournaments?rAM: Not yet planned but intend to play in the next two months. There are not many coming up internationally so it will be difficult to make a choice and I am hopeful it will happen.rrQ: What is your current FIDE rating and when will the title be officially conferred upon you? rAM: By the end of the Benasque Open I was on 2487 Elo points. Actually, I wanted to go higher in the published ratings but it did not go well. I am not sure when I will be conferred the GM title but it will only be after the FIDE Presidential meeting which might happen within the next two months.