Parimarjan: I am stronger mentally

“In the past when I would lose one game it would tend to become a streak. Last year I played in many tournaments where that happened and I would pick up a couple of defeats together. I haven’t done anything different. I guess it is a natural progression but also something that comes with effort. Psychologically I have become stronger,” he says.

What makes the difference says Negi is accepting that a loss is bound to happen at some time or the other. “No one likes to lose but it is unrealistic to think that something that will never happen to you. Of course when you do lose,It isn’t as if you can pretend nothing is wrong. For a couple of hours you can take out your frustration and let your feelings out. But after that I simply get back to preparing for the next game,” he says.

Parimarjan first felt that he had turned the corner at the Cappelle La Grande tournament in France in April this year where he finished second. Over there he was shocked in his first round match against a very low ranked player. “I didn’t let it get to me. I was able to win six games back to back. I just wanted to get back and not slip further. I wasn’t able to win the tournament after I finished behind Sandipan but that ability to overcome early defeats is crucial,” he says.

While Parimarjan who is currently playing has sorted out a few of his problems,a few still remain. “What still bothers me is the fact that I don’t lose because someone is a better player. It is simply because I was making some very silly mistakes. In Dubai last month I had a chance to take the title but a blunder in the space of one second caused me to miss that opportunity,” he says. Even in Vietnam,after sealing the title,he lost his final game.”Somehow,after I was sure of winning the gold I just started trying to play for win in a position that I should have logically drawn,” Negi added.

What Negi wants right now is his ELO rating to go up since it has stagnated at the 2600 mark for the past couple of years .