NEW DELHI: A life filled with a series of tactical gambles and late-game recoveries, FIDE Grandmaster (FM) Prasenjit Dutta, who runs a prestigious academy in the heart of New Delhi, runs a prestigious academy in the heart of New Delhi. For years he had followed a predictable ritual. Whenever a particularly gifted student walked through his door, Dutta would pick up the phone and call his former protégé, Vaibhav Suri, India’s 27th Grand Master. He would ask for a tip, or a brief intervention, so to speak, to sharpen the young mind. Vaibhav almost always says, “Of course, sir.” But now, this ritual has been suspended.This shift had nothing to do with the breakdown of their relationship, which Dutta viewed as more filial than professional. This has to do with Suri disappearing into the high-stakes war room of 20-year-old R Praggnanandhaa. As the young prodigy competed at the highest levels of chess, Suri, now 29, stood behind him as the chief architect of his preparation.
“Now, he is completely focused on Praggnanandhaa,” Dutta told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive chat. “He told me, ‘Sir, you know everything. I don’t want to be a distraction.’ I told him, ‘Son, I want to hear what you have to say.'”
Heartbreak of 3000 rupees
To understand the man behind Praggnanandhaa’s success in recent years, we must first understand the creator of Suri. Prasenjit Dutta’s journey began in 1989 in the remote chess landscape of Agartala, Tripura. By 1995, he was the national junior champion, India’s youngest FIDE Grandmaster, and a prodigy destined for the world stage in Brazil.But when push came to shove, his finances were depleted. “Since the final FIDE fee was Rs 3,000, I could not pay it,” Dutta recalled. “As a result, I quit chess for almost three years. I didn’t think anything would come of it because I couldn’t do anything for financial reasons.”Dutta eventually came back because his peers’ names were seen in the newspapers. He became a seven-time state champion and collegiate gold medalist. Twenty years ago, he gradually began tutoring children.At a tournament in Kerala with three of his students, a local newspaper dubbed him “India’s youngest coach.” It was there that he met a Delhi boy named Aditya Vikram Ahuja. Dutta agreed to his father’s request to travel to Delhi to mentor his son and began teaching occasionally. This is not a regular arrangement as his academy is still running in Tripura.
Prasenjit Dutta (photo by David Rada)
He first met Vaibhav’s father Nitin Suri at a state tournament in Delhi.“He saw Aditya’s performance improving and asked me, ‘Sir, where do you live? Can you coach?’ I said, ‘Yes, I will coach. “But at that time, I hadn’t fully decided to stay in Delhi,” Dutta told SciDev.Net.The turning point came when Delhi Chess Association (DCA) president Bharat Singh Chauhan visited Tripura. He visited Dutta’s small youth academy and saw the potential in the young coach. “Prasanjit, come to Delhi. I will help you. We need more coaches, your highest rating is 2317. I’ve known you for a long time. Come to Delhi. Johan told him, I will support you. This personal encouragement convinced Dutta to relocate.“I had two months left until my final exams for my master’s. His dad kept saying, ‘Sir, please, please.'” I thought, OK, I have a chance here. I will try it. If I am unable to take the exam, I can take it again. ” Dutta recalled.In August 2006, he trained Vaibhav in Delhi.
Vaibhav Suri, a boy holding a chessboard
Now that Dutta is in Delhi, grinding with 9-year-old Vaibhav has become a routine for them. What he found was a student whose physical strength did not match his age.“I trained him eight to nine hours a day starting in August 2006,” Dutta recalled. “I gave it my all. I also played cricket and football at the state level. But here teaching from morning to night, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh! I’ve never taught for that long before.'”While the coaches wear down under the heat and mental stress of Delhi, the students thrive. “The good thing is that when we have long lessons, my body gets tired, but this boy seems more energetic, energetic and even crazier about chess. This is the first time I’ve seen that in a kid,” he said. “Even after seven hours of training, he still had the energy to study. I have never seen any student in class with such energy.”“
Vaibhav Suri (Special Arrangement)
Suri’s dedication comes from the heart. “From the beginning, he loved chess,” Dutta recalled. “Over the years, I’ve seen him never let go of his chessboard and the bag with the pieces. Even when he was sleeping, he would keep it next to him. I often asked, ‘What’s so special about this? Why don’t you let anyone else touch it?'”In an age of digital distraction, young Suri is an anomaly. No TV, no hanging out. If there was a class at 2 p.m. and Dutta was five minutes late, he would answer the phone: “Sir, where have you been? Come on.”
unassuming confidence
Over time, their relationship evolved into friendly competition. Twenty-something Dutta, whose rating hovers around 2300, competes with teenage Suri to see who can claim the International Master (IM) title first.“Wherever he plays, I play,” Dutta said. “It’s a complete family atmosphere. His family treated me like their own son. “Suri’s first national championship was the under-9 championship in Solapur, where he finished second. Subsequently, he was selected for the Asian Championships and World Championships. “That’s when I got my first laptop, which was gifted to me by his father for proper coaching,” smiles Dutta.
I am internally proud of him for picking a good player in Praggnanandhaa and focusing hard.
FM Prasenjit Dutta, former coach of Vaibhav Suri
Suri has demonstrated a computational depth beyond that of his mentor. Dutta would test him with complex positions on the books.“I did it just to check,” Dutta added. “The white king is here, the rook is here, the knight is here. He gave the correct answer. Carefully, he would think for five minutes before answering. He read an entire book with me just like that. I was surprised. I knew then that this player would be difficult to stop. “Suri’s style is defined by a solid positional understanding, which gives him a fearsome confidence in his game. Dutta recalled a state tournament in which Surry faced a much tougher opponent.
Vaibhav Suri (Special Arrangement)
“He said, ‘Sir, my next round is against this tough guy. What should I hit?’ I told him nonchalantly, ‘Play the Pilk defense.’ ” I never fully prepared him or showed him his lines. But he went and won. What confidence! I could never tell other people, ‘Just play this and you’ll win.’ ‘”Vaibhav Suri became India’s 27th Grandmaster in 2012. He was known as the calm and collected master of the circuit, someone who spoke little but calculated everything on the board.It was these qualities, the need for publicity and the refusal to show off, that made him the perfect second choice for R Praggnanandhaa. Also read: ‘We saw tanks on the road’: What it’s like to play chess in a regional conflictIn modern times, the second character is part sparring partner, part data analyst, and part psychological anchor. With his unique positioning style and complete immersion, Suri became the invisible hand behind Prager’s boldest moves.“He never sought publicity,” Dutta concluded. “He remained calm even in front of the camera. I feel proud inside because he picked a good player in Praggnanandhaa and was seriously focused.”
 Prasenjit Dutta, a man whose life has been a series of tactical gambles and late-game recoveries, runs a renowned academy .){kind=link}