EP 467- GM Surya Ganguly on Gratitude, Overcoming Bad Tournaments & Life Lessons from Vishy Anand

Jan 13, 2026

Surya Ganguly, an Indian grandmaster and former second to Viswanathan Anand, shares wisdom on handling setbacks and the importance of gratitude. He reflects on his disappointing results from the World Rapid & Blitz Championships while emphasizing understanding over rote memorization in chess. Surya discusses how health scares shifted his priorities and highlights the supportive role of government jobs in chess careers. He also explores his passion for non-chess board games and the rewarding challenges of coaching elite players.

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ADVICE

Always Prepare For Rapid & Blitz

Never enter a rapid/blitz event without specific preparation and training for that time control.
Play online events regularly if you plan to compete in fast time controls to stay sharp.

INSIGHT

Joy Should Drive Play

Play chess because you enjoy it, not for rating or external measures.
Stop playing if the joy disappears, since enjoyment should drive participation.

ANECDOTE

Gratitude After A Disaster Tournament

Surya recounts bombing at the Chennai Olympiad despite his mother's presence and feeling devastated.
His wife reminded him to be grateful for simply being able to travel and play, which changed his perspective.

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Grandmaster Surya Ganguly is a six-time champion of India, a popular Chessable author, and a former member of Viswanathan Anand’s World Championship preparation team. He is also a co-founder and coach at ProChessTraining.com, where he works with students ranging from adult amateurs to elite grandmasters.

Surya joined me shortly after returning from the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships, where his own results fell short of expectations. This experience led to a thoughtful and honest discussion about perspective, gratitude, and what truly constitutes a challenge in life.

We also talk about the impact of Indian government support for chess, Surya’s love of 1. E4 and (non-chess) board games, and how recent health scares in his family have helped keep chess in its proper place. I always find Surya to be wise and introspective, and it was an honor to speak with him again.

Thanks to our sponsor, Chessable.com, you can sign up for Chessable Pro here:

https://www.chessable.com/pro/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=benjohnson&utm_campaign=pro

Check out their new courses here:

https://www.chessable.com/courses/all/new/

0:01- Surya Ganguly joins me! He discusses the importance of understanding rather than memorizing, both in chess and in life.

03:30- Observations and lessons learned from competing the 2025 FIDE World Rapid & Blitz

You can see Surya’s bishop ending game, as well as Magnus’ in games 33 and 34 of this Lichess study:

https://lichess.org/study/PbwMAIXZ/y7DRWHu1

14:00- What is it like to teach Pragganandhaa, Aravindh and other top GMs in ProChessTraining.com classes?

16:45- Surya’s favorite (non-chess) board games

18:00- Why Surya never shows openings in his classes

23:00- Surya’s approach to teaching lower rated players

26:00- The importance of Surya’s government-supported job at Indian Oil.

32:00- How should students utilize Surya’s course if they don’t have time to consume the 36 hours of video content it offers?

Mentioned:

The idea in the Keres attack is #35 in this study (And can be found in full detail in Surya’s Chessable course!)

https://lichess.org/study/PbwMAIXZ/rRDeHWmk

41:00- Surya’s FIDE Candidates thoughts and plans

42:30- What was it like having an Indian movie made about Surya’s life?

Learn more about Daburu here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6eprCvDPDc

49:00- Can chess be a means of upward mobilization for underprivileged kids in India?

51:00- What Surya learned from spending days with a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Mentioned: Surya’s interview with Chessbase:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0PQmDTtMsI&t=1041s

Must watch interview with Surya about his daughter here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PKWPZJVMyQ

1:01:00- How working with Anand taught Surya to develop an "eternal student” mindset.

GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly's childhood friends share with us the secrets of what makes Surya great

Photo in thumbnail- By Diptansusengupta - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89961412

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