Meet Krishan Jhunjhnuwala. Krishan is a Chess Champion
Tell us how you started playing chess.
A: I started playing in 1972. I watched Bobby Fischer playing the World Chess Championship against Spassky on television and was fascinated. My brothers and I read books on how to play the game – then, later on, we started playing amongst ourselves.
Q: Can you tell us about the USA 4 Brothers?
A: I started playing until I was about 21 years old. I realized you can’t make a living by playing chess unless you are outstanding. I moved to New York City for work. Thirty years later, I retired from my career and decided to play chess once again. But now, I play with older adults. My brothers formed a team with the World Senior Chess Team Championship. Each team contains four players, so we call ourselves ‘USA 4 Brothers’. We played in 2017 and again this year but stopped because of Covid-19. We’re hoping to play next in Russia.
Q: What is it about playing chess that keeps you wanting to get better?
A: The rules are easy. But to master the game, it takes a lot of time and effort. When you play chess, each move you make is challenging, yet you create something that never existed before.
Q: Someone told me that your dream was to be a grandmaster and tell us what a grandmaster is?
A: By playing with grandmasters, you are competing at their level. If you win, you become a grandmaster. You get to play with the best chess players in the world.
Q: Do you have any tips for somebody that is aspiring to become a good chess player?
A: To be a great player, you have to love the game, and if you do, you can succeed and achieve your goals while having fun. I was recently watching the Netflix series, ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’ so if you want to know what chess players go through, then watch that.
Q: How did you end up in Sedona?
A: My better half felt connected to this place, and I have no regrets about coming here since it is a beautiful place.
Q: Have you ever thought about what it would take to get a chess club started here in Sedona?
A: I thought about it. When I do something, I put a lot of effort and commitment into it.
Q: Is there one thing that you wished you learned earlier in life?
A: I wish I went with the flow of life. I used to be a person that needed to know everything, but I realize that I don’t need to know much. Now, I can go with the flow.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: Someone who made a difference. I look around, and there are so many issues, and most people just go with the flow. Still, it would be best to take a stand for what we believe in, knowing the difference we can make. If we don’t do anything, it will affect our future generation.
From the interview with Jonelle Klein,
