The Harikrishna Effect: Why Age 39 Might Be His Best Year Yet

At 39, P Harikrishna just won in 25 moves at the World Cup. While everyone chases teenage prodigies, he's proving experience beats speed. Here's why age might be his secret weapon.

On Friday, Harikrishna became the first player to post a win in Round 3, defeating Belgium's Daniel Dardha in just 25 moves. Not 40 moves. Not 50. Twenty-five.

"My opponent didn't realize the danger in time, and a few tactical tricks worked perfectly," he said afterward, with the understatement of someone who's been doing this for decades.

While the chess world obsesses over the next teenage sensation, Harikrishna just reminded everyone: experience still counts.

The Boy Wonder (Who Never Really Left)

Born on May 10, 1986, in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, Harikrishna learned chess at age 4 from his grandfather Ranga Rao. The progression was absurd:

1. Won the World Under-10 Championship in 1996.
2. Made his Olympiad debut at 14 years and 5 months in 2000.
3. Became a Grandmaster at 15 in 2001, making him the youngest Indian GM at the time (later surpassed by Humpy, Negi, Pragg, and Gukesh)
4. Won the World Junior Championship in 2004.

By his early 20s, everyone assumed Harikrishna would be India's next World Champion after Anand. The comparisons were inevitable. The pressure was immense.

The Peak (And What Came After)

In February 2013, Harikrishna crossed the 2700 Elo rating mark, becoming only the third Indian player to achieve this milestone. Then came his golden year:

In November 2016, he peaked at World #10 with a FIDE rating of 2768. He was playing the best chess of his life at age 30.

But here's the thing about chess: it's brutal to aging players. Your calculation slows. Young players memorize 30 moves of theory overnight. He could have retired comfortably. Coached full-time. Faded into commentary.

He didn't.

2025: The Comeback Nobody Saw Coming

In June 2025, Harikrishna was part of the Indian team that won the World Rapid Chess Championship in London.

In a March 2025 interview, Harikrishna reflected: "Last year was really an excellent year for me. I won the European Club Cup, Olympiad, [trained] Gukesh [for the] Candidates, and Gukesh World Championship. So, hard to complain".

That's right – while competing himself, he was also training the guy who would become World Champion at 18.

When asked about being nearly 40, Harikrishna said: "Yes, I will be soon! But I don't feel it." Asked about future goals, he responded: "Not really. I just go with it every day. If tomorrow, I get a chance to play, I will just think about how to play" .

That's the secret, isn't it? No pressure. No expectations. Just chess.

What Age Actually Brings

Watch that 25-move game against Dardha again. It wasn't flashy. It wasn't a tactical fireworks show. It was surgical.

Harikrishna knew exactly what preparation to use. He surprised his opponent with fresh ideas in the Sicilian Classical, and "a few tactical tricks worked perfectly". By move 25, Dardha had no good moves left.

That's not 39-year-old slowness. That's 39 years of pattern recognition. Of knowing exactly when opponents are uncomfortable. Of squeezing wins from positions young players would rush.

Harikrishna has represented India at eleven Chess Olympiads. He's seen it all. The pressure doesn't rattle him anymore.

While 21-year-old Arjun plays brilliantly but takes risks, Harikrishna plays like someone who's survived 25 years at the top. Clean. Efficient. No wasted energy.

Playing Alongside His Students

Here's the beautiful irony: Harikrishna trained Gukesh for both the Candidates and the World Championship match. Now they're competing in the same tournament.

Imagine that. Your coach and your competitor are the same person. And he's beating everyone just as efficiently as you are. It's a masterclass.

Why This Matters

Chess has an age problem. We worship prodigies.

The narrative is always: younger is better. Faster calculation wins. The old guard is done.

Then Harikrishna walks in at 39 and wins in 25 moves.

Most importantly, he's not trying to prove anything. He lives "one day at a time" with a peaceful, practical approach. But his performance proves something anyway:

Experience beats raw speed when you know how to use it.

The young players study engines for hours. Harikrishna studied opponents for decades. He knows when someone's uncomfortable. When they're out of theory. When to push.

That's not something you learn from a computer.

The Harikrishna Effect

While India celebrates its 10 players in Round 3, don't sleep on the oldest one.

He's not the fastest calculator. He won't out-memorize the young guns in opening theory. He won't make headlines with flashy sacrifices.

But he'll out-prepare you. Out-think you. Out-patience you.

And when you're looking for the best move, he's already three moves ahead – not because he's faster, but because he's been there before.

At 39, P Harikrishna isn't trying to prove age is just a number.

He's proving age is an advantage.

More to explore:

1. FIDE Women's World Chess Championship 2025
2. World Cup 2025 Delivers Wild Round 2
3. Why the World Cup Feels Like the Most Democratic Event in Chess