Bhubaneswar: When the State of Odisha was saddened by the massive devastation caused by cyclone Fani, Swayams Mishra brought some joy by becoming India’s 62nd and Odisha’s second Grandmaster after he achieving his third and final GM norm at the Polonia Wroclaw Master Cup, which was held at Poland’s Wrocław between 28th April and 5th May 2019.
In an exclusive interview with OTV, Mishra said “My journey from a simple chess player to the Grandmaster status is filled with difficulties and hardships. I have learnt a lot from my failures. I think losing is important for me as I learn a lot from loses. Besides, there's no winning without losing,” said Mishra adding, “I am extremely happy that I have become the Grandmaster now. When a chess player begins career, the main aim is to become a Grandmaster. I am delighted that I have achieved the feat. However, it is only the beginning. I have to achieve many more things in my life.”
Speaking about his three Norms and the Elo rating required for a Grandmaster, the 26-year-old from Odisha, said, “I had bagged my maiden GM norm in the KIIT Open in 2014, the second norm at the Isle of Man in 2015 and now the third norm at Wrocław of Poland. I had scored 2500-rating mark at Sunny Beach Chess Championship in Bulgaria in 2014.”
“I will try my best to play chess better and improve my ratings,” said Swayams when asked about his future aim.
Swayams who became the second Grandmaster of the State after Debashis Das, further said “It doesn't matter to me either I am the first or second or third Grandmaster of the State. I am extremely happy that I am a Grandmaster now. I think this will inspire others to realize that the Grandmaster status can be achieved.”
Expressing his feelings of not getting a warm welcome on his home return due to cyclone Fani, the new Grandmaster said, “I was following the news about cyclone Fani during the tournament. I was saddened by the massive damages caused by it. However, I can strongly say that we are strong enough to face and recover everything.”
“The ChessBase India is all set to organise an online blitz tournament to raise funds for the cyclone Fani-affected people. The tournament will take place at 8 PM on May 12. All the entry fees of the participants will be donated to Odisha Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” he concluded.