Kottayam: In COVID terms, TPR, or Test Positivity Rate, is a scary thing. The higher the TPR, the worse the scenario.
However, when it comes to Kerala GM Nihal Sarin, the abbreviated three-letter word has been soaring and he considers it a positive indicator.
TPR or Tournament Performance Rating is a measure of how well a player performed in a particular tournament. For GM Nihal, who is considered one of the best young Chess players in the world, the TPR has been on a higher side in recent times and he's loving it.
On Thursday night, the 16-year-old Thrissur lad wrapped up his second international tournament in ten days by winning the Serbia Chess Open close on the heels of triumphing in the Silver Lake Open.
Nihal has an Elo rating – a measure of a players’ strength -- of 2620. Meanwhile, his TPR in the Serbia Open was 2786 and it touched an impressive 2807 in the Silver Lake event.
To put it into perspective, the Elo ratings of world champion Magnus Carlsen is 2847 and that of India No. 1 Viswanathan Anand is 2753.
"Of course, it is a good thing," chuckled Nihal on his high TPR values in recent times.
"I am very tired and happy at the same time. During the tournament I was mostly just focused on taking it a game at a time, but towards the end it is always a relief to finish it well," said Nihal.
Nihal conceded he has been playing solid chess in recent times and is hoping to continue his form at the prestigious Chess World Cup beginning in Sochi, Russia tomorrow.
"I have had little time to think about things apart from my immediate next game and I think I will do just that (at the World Cup). After that I will continue playing in Europe."