How chess players tackled tricky choice of jersey numbers at GCL: Inspiration from Messi, Sachin, Dhoni, and some help from family

Praggnanandhaa contemplated the question for a portion and decided helium wanted No 10. It was not lone his day of commencement but besides the fig that legendary athletes similar Sachin Tendulkar and Lionel Messi had sported connected the backmost of their jerseys.

But idiosyncratic other connected his squad had the aforesaid thought.

“I replied to the email astir 7 hours later. But Gukesh had replied earlier asking for No 10. So eventually, past clip I ended up with No 7. It’s what Cristiano Ronaldo and MS Dhoni wore. And past play worked retired good for me. So this clip I picked the aforesaid fig again,” Pragg tells The Indian Express with a grin.

Five-time satellite champion Viswanathan Anand had it casual for his choice. But determination person been plentifulness of questions connected the pick, No 64.

“64 has go benignant of my thing. Vishy64TheKing is my Twitter handle. It’s go an eternal joke,” Ganges Grandmasters’ icon subordinate Anand tells The Indian Express. “But radical spot it and inquire maine ‘Oh were you calved successful 1964?’ I person to archer them that I was calved successful 1969 but 64 is however galore squares determination are connected the chessboard!”

And conscionable similar Pragg, American Gambits icon prima Hikaru Nakamura besides was denied his archetypal prime for the fig connected his back.

“I didn’t prime my number. I fundamentally picked No 1 oregon No 5. They didn’t person it. So I conscionable told them to prime one!” shrugs the World No 2 who besides wears the No 2 jersey.

Vidit Gujrathi, too, was denied his prime of No 4 due to the fact that idiosyncratic other had got determination earlier him. He smiles arsenic helium says helium volition not uncover wherefore helium wanted No 4 but adds: “When that was not available, I picked No 1. Levon Aronian (playing for Triveni Continental Kings) picked it past clip and they won the tournament. So I took that arsenic well.”

Sachin and Dhoni are not the lone cricketers who person made it easier for players astatine the GCL to determine their jersey numbers. Current India skipper Rohit Sharma’s jersey fig 45 besides recovered a taker successful upGrad Mumba Masters’ Raunak Sadhwani, who says the Mumbai cricketer is his favourite, which made him prime the jersey fig arsenic well.

Confronted by a question that they seldom ever look successful a athletics wherever they mostly play successful concern suits, immoderate person picked numbers that person peculiar meaning for them.

Harika Dronavalli, who led the Indian women’s squad to the golden medal astatine the recently-concluded Chess Olympiad successful Budapest, says erstwhile she was asked to prime a jersey number, she was dumbfounded initially, Then she ended up picking her daughter’s birthdate — 24 — due to the fact that it was the lone fig that came successful her mind. She had, of course, competed successful the erstwhile Olympiad portion pregnant.

Ganges Grandmasters’ Arjun Erigaisi picked No 3 due to the fact that helium was calved connected September 3, 2003.

PBG Alaskan Knights Nihal Sarin confesses helium had nary relation successful picking the fig connected his back: 13. While the remainder of the satellite mightiness see it unlucky, Nihal chuckles: “My manager chose it due to the fact that I was calved connected July 13. I cognize it’s considered unlucky. But I’m hoping to alteration that.”