🏆 Showman of the Year 2021 🥇🏆
Grandmaster Baskaran Adhiban's progress was slow if you compare it with the Indian superstars of his generation. But with hard work, he soon closed the gap!
His secret: a deep love for chess. Imagine this man turned his mother into an improving amateur. At the age of 50, she competes, studies, and has a rating of about 1200 FIDE!
With such home support, he steadily but surely made his place amongst the top Indian players. By 2014, he was at the Tromsø Chess Olympiad, helping his team win a historic Bronze medal.
However, his international breakthrough, nor even he could have dreamed it.
At the 2017 Tata Steel Super Tournament (he had won the Challengers group the previous year), Adhiban was the clear underdog. He played his part in the first four rounds, scoring only 1 point.
Yet, In the remaining nine games, he scored an unbeaten +4, including unscratched draws against World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Grandmaster Wesley So, then the #1 and #2 players in the world. The result earned him a fantastic 3rd place and 28 elo points.
During that tournament, it was evident why he goes by the nickname of 'The Beast.' Adhiban has a gift for ultra-aggressive chess, and in his element, he can sweep even the best players in the world like flies.
But when you are not his opponent, he is one of the friendliest people in the chess world. That was easy to realize during his hilarious Christmas video.
But you could also ask the #1b3cowboys, the diligent students of his smashing hit Lifetime Repertoires: 1.b3 that upvoted him for Showman of the Year 2021.
So if you look for 2700-level opening instruction and fun (both at the board and the dashboard), the Beast won't disappoint you.
