Shyaam Nikhil’s fascinating saga to become India’s 85th Grandmaster Premium

Inspired by nature, India's latest chess Grandmaster Shyaam Nikhil overcame a 12-year struggle to achieve his dream.

Just like Robert the Bruce, the King of Scotland, was inspired by a spider persistently attempting to spin a web in a cave, India’s 85th and latest chess Grandmaster (GM) Shyaam Nikhil, at one point in his 12-year wait for his third and final GM norm, was inspired by a crab on the Sri Lankan seashore.

“I take inspiration from whatever I look around. For example, I won the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Sri Lanka in 2022. The initial stages weren’t so good for me — I drew and then lost my second round. And then I started to win some rounds.

“So, one day I was standing on the seashore. I was just looking at the waves and I saw these crabs on the shore. There was this crab trying to dig and keep something. Though waves came and closed it (the hole), it resumed digging and kept on doing it even after the waves receded.

“It felt like that I was getting a message from that. I felt this way: ‘Just keep doing your work. Whatever the disturbances or external things, don’t take those into consideration.’

“So, I draw inspiration from all the incidents I look around, and this way I keep myself motivated all the time,” said Shyaam over a Zoom call.

He also mentioned that he had a lot of people around him ‘radiating’ positivity. For instance, his parents have made him feel motivated by narrating stories of how they had overcome their own struggles.

“See, there’s 12 years of struggle for a norm. It’s not an easy thing to cope up with,” said Shyaam.