Panaji: Two-time Candidates champion Ian Nepomniachtchi will now probably realise why the top three ranked players in the world skipped the Chess World Cup in Goa. The 35-year-old top-ranked Russian GM, seeded 12 here, got a taste of the strength of Indian chess. India’s unseeded 27-year-old Diptayan Ghosh sent the 2732 Elo-rated Nepomniachtchi packing from Goa in just two classical games. Frustrated, the two-time challenger to world champions took the media room route to enter the Cafe Bar for a quick drink here at Resort Rio. Nepo lost 9.2 rating points and is now out of the top 20 in the world. Diptayan’s story is one of a comeback, from a boring bank job to the chessboard. Coming back to the chessboard after a two-year break — Diptayan had started working as a bank clerk — the Kolkata GM, playing without the help of a coach, consumed a ‘big fish’ in the World Cup on Wednesday. “Being a Bengali, I love fish. Yesterday night, I had Goan kingfish,” a smiling Diptayan told TOI. Diptayan (2573 Elo) added, “This is the biggest victory, so it means a lot. It will motivate me to focus on chess more. I have played some 2700s before, but defeating a former world championship challenger in a match of two games is huge for me. Some 10-12 years ago, my parents accompanied me to a tournament and I became an IM. This time too, they are here, and it proved lucky.” Explaining how he carved out this win, Diptayan said, “I was playing black against Nepo and I tried a new opening. Actually, I prepared for the first-round match, but I played it in Round Two. He made a few small mistakes later and gradually his position became worse.” Asked about his coach, he said, “I’m working alone. I was playing some training games with Ganguly bhaiya (Surya Shekhar) and Aronian, but not anyone specifically on the opening prep.” He regretted the two-year break from chess. “Financial responsibility is huge. I was without any sponsor, so I decided to work in a bank. But it became very boring. I kind of regret not utilising those two years.”
