Anish Giri Reflects On A Career-Defining Moment: "It Was Like Hitting Rock Bottom"
Even the world's best players go through challenges. For GM Anish Giri, a brutal stretch of losses was more than just a slump. It was a defining moment, the grandmaster shared in a new documentary.
The 30-year-old has been ranked among the world's top players for more than a decade. He has a peak rating of 2802 and a career high of world number-three. A brand new Chess.com documentary provides a very intimate look into Giri's evolution from being a prodigy to a top grandmaster and a family man.
Born in 1994 in St. Petersburg to a Russian mother and a Nepali father, Giri learned the game when he was five from his mother. She liked to play chess with people who visited the house, he shared. "I fell in love with the game very fast. The game itself captivated me, but also the fact that it was something that I was very good at."
I fell in love with the game very fast. The game itself captivated me, but also the fact that it was something that I was very good at.
—Anish Giri
The family moved to Japan after his father got a job there, then five years later, in 2008, they moved again to the Netherlands. As a 14-year-old, Giri's chess was improving fast, even if it wasn't always clear to those around him. "Nobody noticed that I was a really strong player at the time. I was just doing my own thing."
His rapid rise led to invitations to Wijk aan Zee, the famous tournament that had a huge impact on Giri's career. As an FM in 2009 he achieved his final GM norm in the C group, skipping the IM title altogether.
The following year he made his debut in the B group, winning it outright with 9/13. That earned him a spot in the prestigious Masters group in 2011. It was a memorable moment for the 16-year-old, who sensationally defeated world number-one GM Magnus Carlsen with Black in only 22 moves.
The following year, at just 17 years of age, Giri was on fire. He had just won Reggio Emilia, his first victory in a super tournament. "There were articles all over the chess media," he recalls. "They were saying this is a historic result."
He started well in Wijk aan Zee with a win against former world championship challenger GM Boris Gelfand. He then lost a game, against GM Sergey Karjakin, but bounced back by defeating GM Gata Kamsky in round six. "You can imagine the build-up to greatness. I was on an absolute high."
However, what happened next was a defining moment for the teenager. The grandmaster went on a horrific run of five consecutive losses. "Then I lost a game. Then another one, and then another one. Then another one. You keep thinking, 'I'm not going to lose another one,' but it kept coming. Five games in a row."
Then I lost a game. Then another one, and then another one. Then another one. You keep thinking, 'I'm not going to lose another one,' but it kept coming.
—Anish Giri
For a prodigy being hailed as the next big star, the emotional blow was big. "It might have had an impact on my career... and I have learned a lot from that," Giri recounts. "In some sense, this was like hitting rock bottom."
"The good thing about hitting rock bottom is that, whenever later you get a hit, it'll never be as painful as that. You've got the biggest blow already and you know how to deal with that. It took a while, of course," he said, adding, "When you overcome something like that, then you're much stronger, that's for sure!"
The good thing about hitting rock bottom is that, whenever later you get a hit, it'll never be as painful as that. You've got the biggest blow already.
—Anish Giri
He is now a husband and father of three and balances his career as a chess professional with family life and content creation. He says he is happy with his achievements, but still wants to take his career to a new level. "The main prize is still up for the taking," he says, "So I am going to go for it, of course."
Watch the full 18-minute documentary on our YouTube channel.
