Surya Shekhar Ganguly
Encyclopedia
Surya Shekhar Ganguly is an Indian chess Grandmaster and a chess prodigy
from Kolkata. He started playing chess at the age of 5 and achieved great successes at National Junior and World Junior Championships since the age of 8. He also set a record of being the youngest player to beat a Grandmaster at 11.
Ganguly became an International Master at 16 and a Grandmaster at 19. He has won a host of national and international tournaments including the Indian National Championship
for a record six consecutive years from 2003–2008 and the Asian Championship in 2009. He was awarded the Arjuna Award
in 2005 by the Government of India for his outstanding achievement in sports. He worked in the team of seconds that assisted Anand
in winning the World title matches against Kramnik in 2008 and Topalov in 2010.
. He got married to his childhood sweetheart Sudeshna on February 7, 2011.
The following are his achievements in the World Youth Chess Championship
in his age categories:
In 1995, at the age of 11, he beat a Grandmaster, the youngest player ever to do so until that time.
, Bled 2002. Some of his notable achievements are given here.
, GM Radosław Wojtaszek and the former FIDE World Champion GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov
.
Anand has praised Ganguly for being very effective as a team member. About Ganguly, he says, "He is a very good chess player and analyst who works really hard. We (have worked) together for six-seven years and will work together for a long time. Why change formula when it's working."
The following game is taken from the World Team Chess Championship
2011. Here Ganguly (white) plays Peter Svidler
of Russia in the final round. Shortly thereafter, Svidler went on to win the Russian Chess Championship
a record sixth time and then the Chess World Cup 2011
.
In this game, Ganguly plays a strong combination that only a very powerful computer can understand.
1. e4 g6 Totally unexpected from Svidler but Russia was in a must win
situation! 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. Qd2 Nd7 6. O-O-O b5 7. h4 h6 8. f4! h5 9. Nf3 Bb7 10. Ng5 Nh6 11. e5 Nb6 12. Bd3 Qc8 13. Rhf1 Nd5 Black wants
to have his bishop on d5 and does not wish to play e6 at all. 14. Nce4! O-O? 15. f5! Nxf5 16. Rxf5 gxf5 17. Ng3 Nxe3 Here ordinary computers may scream
that black wins after 17...f4. Only a very powerful computer can understand
that Ganguly's combination was correct. 18. Qxe3 f4 19. Bh7+!!
Apparently, Svidler missed this move and that may be the reason he allowed
Ganguly to play 15.f5. Without this combination black is doing fine here. Kh8
20. Qd3 dxe5 21. dxe5 f6 22. Bg8! f5 23. Be6 Qe8 24. Bxf5! 1-0
Chess prodigy
Chess prodigies are children who play chess so well that they are able to beat Masters and even Grandmasters, often at a very young age. Chess is one of the few sports where children can compete with adults on equal ground; it is thus one of the few skills in which true child prodigies exist...
from Kolkata. He started playing chess at the age of 5 and achieved great successes at National Junior and World Junior Championships since the age of 8. He also set a record of being the youngest player to beat a Grandmaster at 11.
Ganguly became an International Master at 16 and a Grandmaster at 19. He has won a host of national and international tournaments including the Indian National Championship
Indian Chess Championship
The Indian Chess Championship is a yearly national chess championship of India. It was established in 1955 by the Andhra State Chess Association as a two-yearly event, but since 1971 it has been played yearly. The first edition was held in Eluru from May 15-May 28 and was jointly won by Ramchandra...
for a record six consecutive years from 2003–2008 and the Asian Championship in 2009. He was awarded the Arjuna Award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
in 2005 by the Government of India for his outstanding achievement in sports. He worked in the team of seconds that assisted Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
in winning the World title matches against Kramnik in 2008 and Topalov in 2010.
Personal life
He was born to Mr. Pankaj Ganguly and Mrs. Arati Ganguly on 24 February 1983. He has an elder sister who is a doctor by profession. He is working as Deputy Manager at the Indian Oil CorporationIndian Oil Corporation
Indian Oil Corporation Limited, or IndianOil, is an Indian state-owned oil and gas corporation with its headquarters are in Mumbai, India. It is India’s largest commercial enterprise, ranked 98th on the Fortune Global 500 list for 2011...
. He got married to his childhood sweetheart Sudeshna on February 7, 2011.
Early career
Ganguly's grand father, the late Mr. Anil Basumallick, taught him chess at the age of 5. Soon he become very popular in chess circles of Kolkata as he was the youngest player in most tournaments taking place during those days and also won prizes. In 1991, at the age of 8, he won both the Indian National U-10 and U-12 Championships. He won these Championships again in 1992 and 1995.The following are his achievements in the World Youth Chess Championship
World Youth Chess Championship
The World Youth Chess Championship is a chess competition for girls and boys under the age of 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18.The first predecessor of the youth championship was the Cadet Championship. It started off unofficially in 1974 in France for players under 18. The 1975 and 1976 editions were also...
in his age categories:
- World U-10 Championship, Warsaw 1991: Won bronze medal in his first foreign trip, at the age of 8.
- World U-10 Championship, Duisburg 1992: He was leading ahead of future stars such as GrischukAlexander GrischukAlexander Igorevich Grischuk is a Russian chess grandmaster and Russian Champion in 2009.-Chess career:In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov....
, Bacrot and Vallejo PonsFrancisco Vallejo PonsFrancisco Vallejo Pons is a chess Grandmaster from Spain. He was a chess prodigy, achieving the grandmaster title at the age of 16 years and 9 months, which makes him the 20th youngest player to ever become a grandmaster...
only to falter in the last two rounds to finish 6th. - World U-10 Championship, Bratislava 1993: Shared bronze medal with JakovenkoDmitry JakovenkoDmitry Olegovich Jakovenko is a Russian chess grandmaster. On the March 2010 FIDE Elo rating list, Jakovenko has a rating of 2725, making him the 20th highest ranked player in the world....
, ahead of Grishchuk. - World U-12 Championship, Szeged 1994: Shared bronze medal with PonomarievRuslan PonomariovRuslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and former FIDE World Champion.-Early career:Ponomariov was born in Horlivka in Ukraine. In 1994 he placed third in the World Under-12 Championship at the age of ten. In 1996 he won the European Under-18 Championship at the age of just...
, Vallejo Pons behind Aronian and Bacrot, and ahead of Grishchuk. - World U-12 Championship, St. Lorenzo 1995: Won silver medal behind Bacrot.
In 1995, at the age of 11, he beat a Grandmaster, the youngest player ever to do so until that time.
Notable Achievements
Ganguly has played in many individual and team tournaments, both national and international. He achieved his IM (International Master) title at Goodricke International, Kolkata 2000 and the GM (Grand Master) title at the 35th Chess Olympiad35th Chess Olympiad
The 35th Chess Olympiad took place from October 25th to November 11th, 2002, in Bled, . In the men's tournament there were 136 teams, and in the women's, 92 teams...
, Bled 2002. Some of his notable achievements are given here.
National Events
In addition to the National U10 and U12 championships mentioned above, Ganguly's achievements in other national events are as under.- National "A"Indian Chess ChampionshipThe Indian Chess Championship is a yearly national chess championship of India. It was established in 1955 by the Andhra State Chess Association as a two-yearly event, but since 1971 it has been played yearly. The first edition was held in Eluru from May 15-May 28 and was jointly won by Ramchandra...
: He won the Indian National Championship for a record six consecutive years from 2003–2008, after which he has stopped playing this event. - National Team: His team won the championship in 2001, 2002 and 2007
- National Rapid 2005: Champion
- National Junior 1999/2000: Champion
- National Cities 1999: His team won the championship.
- National "B" 1999: Ganguly won this championship at the age of 16 and never looked back.
Asian Events
- Asian Games 2010: His team India won bronze, his personal score being four wins and four draws with no losses.
- Asian IndividualAsian Chess ChampionshipThe 2007 championship was a FIDE Zone 3 qualification event for the 2007 Chess World Cup, the next stage in the 2009 World Chess Championship. Ten players were qualified for the 2007 World Cup: Zhang Pengxiang , Wang Hao , Abhijit Kunte , Zhao Jun , Susanto Megaranto , Wen Yang , Darwin Laylo ,...
: After winning bronze in 2001, he became the Asian Champion in 2009. - Asian Team: His team India won silver in 2003 and 2008 and gold in 2005 (including an individual gold for himself) and 2009.
- Asian Indoor GamesAsian Indoor GamesThe Asian Indoor Games is a multi-sport event held every two years among athletes representing countries from Asia. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia. The first games were held in 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand....
2007: He won two silver medals and a gold medal. - Asian Zonal: After winning silver in 2001, he won the championship in 2003 and 2007.
Olympiads and World Team 2010
- OlympiadsChess OlympiadThe Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
: He has represented India in every Chess Olympiad since 2000. He won his GM title at the 35th Olympiad in Slovenia 2002 and his team India got the 6th position, the best ever, at the 36th Olympiad in Spain 2004. - World Team Chess ChampionshipWorld Team Chess ChampionshipThe World Team Chess Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of 10 countries whose chess federations dominate their continent.-Men's team medals:-Women's team medals:-References:*...
2010: His team India won bronze and he won the individual gold for himself.
Other International Tournaments
- Parsvanath International: After winning silver in 2008, he won gold in the tournament in 2009.
- Commonwealth OpenCommonwealth Chess ChampionshipThe Commonwealth Chess Championship is a gathering of chess players from Commonwealth countries.-History:A championship was planned for New Zealand in 1949, but it was canceled because the British Chess Federation was unable to attend.-Oxford 1950:...
: After winning Gold (Junior) in 2000 and 2003/2004, he went on to win Silver in the Open in 2007 and 2008. - Sydney International 2008: Champion
- Canberra International 2008: Second
- ONGC International 2006: Champion
- Bangladesh International 2005: Champion
- Kolkata Open 2004: Joint Champion
- Amsterdam International 2004: Second
- Delhi International 2004: Joint Champion
- Gibtel International 2004: Second
- World JuniorWorld Junior Chess ChampionshipThe World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
2002: Bronze - Goodricke International 2000: Won IM title
Team Anand
Ganguly has been a member of the team of seconds that helped Anand win his World title matches against Kramnik in 2008 and Topalov in 2010. Other members of the team were GM Peter Heine NielsenPeter Heine Nielsen
Peter Heine Nielsen is a Danish chess Grandmaster.-Chess career:Nielsen became an International Grandmaster in 1994. He won the Danish Chess Championship five times: in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2008. He played for Denmark in seven Chess Olympiads, three times on top board, with an overall...
, GM Radosław Wojtaszek and the former FIDE World Champion GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster, best known for winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2004. He was born in Tashkent, in the former Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic...
.
Anand has praised Ganguly for being very effective as a team member. About Ganguly, he says, "He is a very good chess player and analyst who works really hard. We (have worked) together for six-seven years and will work together for a long time. Why change formula when it's working."
Sample Game
While Ganguly is also a fine positional player, he relishes complicated positions. He is capable of calculating very long variations accurately and manages to foresee that extra one move required for the win.The following game is taken from the World Team Chess Championship
World Team Chess Championship
The World Team Chess Championship is an international team chess event, eligible for the participation of 10 countries whose chess federations dominate their continent.-Men's team medals:-Women's team medals:-References:*...
2011. Here Ganguly (white) plays Peter Svidler
Peter Svidler
Peter Veniaminovich Svidler is a Russian chess grandmaster.He is six-time Russian champion ....
of Russia in the final round. Shortly thereafter, Svidler went on to win the Russian Chess Championship
Russian Chess Championship
-Imperial Russia:In 1874, Emanuel Schiffers defeated Andrey Chardin in a match held in St. Petersburg with five wins and four losses. Schiffers was considered the first Russian champion until his student, Mikhail Chigorin, defeated him in a match held in St. Petersburg in 1879...
a record sixth time and then the Chess World Cup 2011
Chess World Cup 2011
The Chess World Cup 2011 was a chess 128-player single-elimination tournament, played between 26 August and 21 September 2011, in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia...
.
In this game, Ganguly plays a strong combination that only a very powerful computer can understand.
1. e4 g6 Totally unexpected from Svidler but Russia was in a must win
situation! 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. Qd2 Nd7 6. O-O-O b5 7. h4 h6 8. f4! h5 9. Nf3 Bb7 10. Ng5 Nh6 11. e5 Nb6 12. Bd3 Qc8 13. Rhf1 Nd5 Black wants
to have his bishop on d5 and does not wish to play e6 at all. 14. Nce4! O-O? 15. f5! Nxf5 16. Rxf5 gxf5 17. Ng3 Nxe3 Here ordinary computers may scream
that black wins after 17...f4. Only a very powerful computer can understand
that Ganguly's combination was correct. 18. Qxe3 f4 19. Bh7+!!
Apparently, Svidler missed this move and that may be the reason he allowed
Ganguly to play 15.f5. Without this combination black is doing fine here. Kh8
20. Qd3 dxe5 21. dxe5 f6 22. Bg8! f5 23. Be6 Qe8 24. Bxf5! 1-0
External links
- Ganguly's Interview on Anand-Topalov Match 2010
- Follow Ganguly on Twitter at http:// twitter.com/GMSuryaGanguly