Moving a chess piece to attack his opponent, Anant Adury uses unique thinking to pick the most strategic move. Adury spends hours practicing and preparing to tackle the chess world head on, eager to showcase his talent. One way he does so is through the Revere chess team, where he competes alongside his peers.

Adury, a Junior at Revere High School, has shown the world how much potential he has. He went from a high school chess player, to traveling across the world to compete in the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship held in Montesilvano, Italy.

 Only the best of the best get invitations to this tournament, which requires a national ranking to even be considered. Adury’s chess ratings are very high and he is at the top of his age group, which is why he got to perform on a higher stage in Italy.

Adury looked back at his chess journey and explained that it has been in his life for ten years. It started as a fun thing to do during his free time, but it has now branched into much more than that.

“I started playing with my brother and my dad very casually back when I was around six years old,” Adury said.

Adury gave insight as to how he first got involved with chess. He mentioned that his brother, Abhay Adury, started playing first and he tagged along with him. Watching his brother play sparked something in him to further his love for chess and join a team.

“He was four years older than me, so I kind of got it from him. He started competing and I just went along with him . . . Then in fourth grade, I joined the Revere High School chess team,” Adury said.

Eugene Sawan, retired Revere teacher and Revere chess team adviser, mentioned how he first was introduced to Adury because of his older brother. He talked about how Adury was extremely young to be on the chess team, but he proved himself worthy of a spot on the team.

“Normally, chess club is strictly for 6th-12th graders, but Anant was already showing he had great promise. His first year with the chess club saw him earn a spot on our Varsity Reserve Team. The very next year he was playing for our Varsity Team,” Sawan said.

Josh Garrow, a fellow Junior and chess player at Revere High School, spoke about the type of person that Adury is. He often spends time with Adury at chess club, and can see these attributes in his dedication.

“He is very intelligent and a hard worker,” Garrow said.

Adury expanded more on the school’s chess team and how competitions look. Although he competes on his own, the team plays local schools and then travels to compete together on a wider scale.

“We play other schools and then recently we’ve been competing as a team,” Adury said.

He then described what a normal day of chess club practice would look like. He noted how chess club is a great way to connect with his peers while also doing something they all enjoy.

“It’s more casual, to socialize, and then, obviously, play chess. So it’s like a mix of both,” Adury said.

Sawan talked about some of the things they do at chess club practices, and how a normal practice is about two hours long. He said that Adury and Garrow’s collaboration helped make the other players better.

“We also work on chess puzzles, and there are times when Anant and Josh Garrow will work with our better players, helping them with strategy and openings,” Sawan said.

Adury then mentioned the commitment that chess takes. He dedicates lots of time to training and practicing in order to sharpen his skills. He brought up some specific things that he does to stay on top of his game.

“I prepare every day. . . It’s a combination of books, courses and games,” Adury said.

Garrow touched on how much time Adury puts into chess outside of just the chess club practices. He sees how Audry takes it upon himself to find different ways to improve his abilities and better himself.

“He reads many books about chess and studies many hours every day,” Garrow said.

Sawan described the type of chess player that Adury is. He spoke about his skills and how he is mind blowing to watch.

“He is, without doubt, the most gifted student to play for Revere in my 37-year tenure as the club’s adviser. He is so far beyond my own ability, that it is sometimes like watching a magician at work. Seeing him play two different people, blindfolded, and win, is just a small indication of his prowess at chess,” Sawan said.

Adury addressed his trip to Italy, along with the magnitude of opportunities that came with it. He mentioned how he got to play with a variety of different players and got to face a new spectrum of competition. He noted how playing against tougher competition has increased his chess skills.

“It was really cool to analyze with a lot of different kids. It was a good experience because they also helped my stamina,” Adury said.

He said that his favorite part of chess is the originality of it. He talked about having a fun environment while also doing something he enjoys makes for a great experience. He noted that having the opportunity to be creative is his favorite part about chess.

Adury introduced some of the techniques and thought processes that he uses while playing. He looks at chess more simplistically rather than overthinking it and trying to do too much. He carefully makes his decisions and looks at all the outcomes of each move without burning through his time.

“Chess kind of taught me to think in a very logical and straightforward way. It’s just like a step-by-step, very simple thought process,” Adury said.

Garrow brought up how challenging it is to do the things Adury has accomplished. He talked about Adury’s work ethic and how many chess players do not make it as far as he has because of it.

“It takes years and years of constant studying paired with tournaments. Also much of the studying is alone which can be brutal. It also takes a lot of determination,” Garrow said.

Adury is ranked 14th in all of Ohio and in the top 16 for those under 16 in the United States. Sawan spoke about how challenging it is to obtain such a high ranking in chess. These ratings are the reason why Adury got invited to compete in the FIDE championship and why he is nationally known.

“It is extremely rare for someone to rate as high as Anant. He became a National Master during the summer, following his 8th grade year. That is the highest title awarded by the USCF (United States Chess Federation) and represents less than .1% of the US population,” Sawan said.

Garrow spoke about the future that lies ahead of Adury. He talked about how there are many different routes Adury could take with his great skills, one being passing the knowledge down to those that want to be trained.

“He is phenomenal . . . if he wanted to continue with chess he could do so with teaching others,” Garrow said.

Sawan shared his thoughts on Adury, speaking on his qualities that make him stand out from everyone else.

“I truly admire Anant and am continually impressed by him, both as an exceptional chess player and as a sensitive, caring, young man, willing to share his knowledge and talent to help others,” Sawan said.

Adury has spent lots of time and dedication into mastering the art of chess. He will continue to pursue this dream of his and keep working to become the best chess player he can be.

This story was originally published on Lantern on January 10, 2024.