How India's 86th Grandmaster Srihari L R outsmarts his opponents

The art of winning

Recently, I was going through the articles and interviews of GM Srihari L R. India did not have any new Grandmaster for almost a year, and it was Srihari who ended that long wait on 15th May 2025. This fact caught my attention. The more I read, the more curious I became. His story was amazing, of course. I stumbled upon a video interview of his titled: “It’s Not About Winning, But How You Win.” That line hit me. If you go through his games, you realise he truly lives by that idea.

I reached out to him and shared the idea of including some of his best games, which he won, but to show how he won. And he was kind enough to help me with that. And that’s what this article is about.

When you are playing against someone like GM Abhijeet Gupta, you might get tempted to play it safe and avoid unnecessary risks. But you should also be prepared for some surprises (which can occur as early as move 3!). Srihari was expecting a Grünfeld Defense, because Abhijeet is known for that, but instead, he played 3.Bg7.

For some players, such deviations can cause discomfort, especially when they happen very early in the game! Soon, there were subtle inaccuracies on Black's part that opened the door for White. But Srihari did not rush for fireworks; he showed a calm, practical approach. A clean, gradual win for him!

One of the key parts of your training routine is preparing for your opponent’s opening choices. You might not be playing a certain line regularly, but you need to be ready in case your opponent chooses it. Before this round, Srihari knew that his opponent, Sreeshwan Maralakshikari, occasionally opted for the Slav Defense. So he came prepared. Black tried to create chaos with 15…f6, but it backfired. White gradually tightened his grip and took away Black’s counterplay.

This was a significant game for Srihari as it contributed to his first IM norm. The opening was subtle, and both sides followed natural development patterns until Black played 11...f5.

Instead, 11…Be6 would have been a more solid choice to increase the pressure. 13…Nc8 was a serious mistake from Black. Can you find out why? This move collapsed Black’s position.

After the pandemic, Srihari had traveled to Hungary to complete his final IM norms. His first tournament didn’t go his way. So he needed to maintain the momentum. This game helped him do just that. He was facing Nitish Belurkar with Black pieces. White’s play with the bishops, 11.Be3, 12.Bd3, and later 14.Be2 led to disharmony in the position. Srihari seized the initiative and converted confidently.

Sometimes, the chessboard throws more surprises at you than real life. In this game, it was Leon who took Srihari by surprise in the opening. He was well-prepared until 14...f6; after that, Srihari chose to deviate with 15. Nb5 just to drag his opponent out of preparation. But the position went down for Black after a critical blunder with 24…Ne5. Can you find the best move in this position?

Srihari had chosen the Slav defence against Magnus Carlsen at the Qatar Masters 2023, but that game hadn’t gone his way. So, it was natural for him to be sceptical about repeating the same line. Yet, he did, and this time, it paid off! Black got the initiative after 15…Rc8 and as per Srihari’s analysis, only Black could play for a win from that point.

White’s blunder on 28.Qd2 sealed his fate. The back rank was already vulnerable, and the pressure on the c-file was steadily mounting. White couldn't save the game.

It was the final round of the Qatar Masters 2023, and Srihari found himself in a must-win situation against GM Sandipan Chanda. The game remained balanced for a long time, with both players keeping maximum pieces on the board. The turning point came after 23.Rd1, which allowed Black’s knight to invade White’s territory.

Black later forked White’s queen and rook with 23. Nxb2. A good advantage converted into a full point! With that, Srihari secured his second GM norm.

This was one of Srihari’s first wins against a 2500+ rated opponent, making it a special one. Srihari was well prepared until move 10.Qd2.

White is slightly better in this position. Black’s plan with 11...c6 and 12...cxd5 was inaccurate. It only gave White a dominant position.

Just by looking at the position, you could tell that White had more space and freedom to manoeuvre, while Black was cramped! The position simplified a bit after a few exchanges, but it remained worse for Black. He was struggling for some action. Then came 19. Kb1, Srihari’s favourite move of the game.

Black had no options left. He continued to fight but eventually resigned after the 22nd move. This game is a great example of how to create and maintain dominance on the board.

Related news:

	Srihari L R becomes the 86th Grandmaster of India @ 21/05/2025 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
	Srihari L R becomes the latest International Master of India @ 06/11/2021 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
	Super Juniors Cup: Srihari and Aronyak are the 'Giant Killers' @ 06/12/2020 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
	Srihari holds Koustav in 49th National Junior 2019 @ 03/11/2019 by Shahid Ahmed (en)
	World Youth 2019 Round 4: Srihari LR beats top seed Sreeshwan in under-14 section to claim sole lead @ 05/10/2019 by Sagar Shah (en)