The Chess player-turned-cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal relieved his old passion when he took part in an online blitz event on Sunday (Apr 05). He accredited that the beautiful indoor sport taught him to be patient on the cricket field.
Blitz is one of the three formats in chess in which a player gets 10 minutes or less, with or without time increments.
Chahal said these things during a candid conversation with Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta – the first player to win the Commonwealth Chess Championship five times – and International Master Rakesh Kulkarni.
Chahal expressed, “Chess taught me patience. In cricket, you may be bowling well, but you may not get wickets.”
“Like in a Test match you may have bowled well in a day but not got wickets, but you have to come back the next day, so you need to be patient. Chess has helped me a lot in that way. I have learnt to be patient and get batsmen out,” added the leg-spinner.
When asked about the decision to choose cricket over chess despite a good run in the board game, Chahal, explained that he did so because he had more interest in cricket.
“I had to choose between chess and cricket. I spoke to dad who said the choice was (yours). I had more interest in cricket and opted for it,” Chahal added further.
Chahal, who was supposed to join Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is currently spending time with family members. The leggie expressed that this is a new experience and he’s enjoying it.
“I don’t get to spend too much time with my family. After many years I am at home. I am spending a lot of time with my family. It is a good and new experience. I sleep late and wake up late and spend time with my family members in the evening.”
Chahal has represented India internationally in chess at youth levels. His name is listed on the World Chess Federation (FIDE) website, and his Elo rating is 1956. The 29-year-old is a former national Under-12 chess champion.
