David Antón: El Niño is a giant

The life of a professional chess player is a roller coaster. That's the story of David El Niño Antón (1995, Murcia), the best Spanish player of the last decade. Not long ago, he drew with Magnus Carlsen, the best of his generation, if not of all time. Months later, he saw his rating drop due to a loss to a tough opponent at a lower level, and shortly after, just a few days ago, he became the first Spanish club world champion. As board number 3 on the MGD1 team, with a majority of Indian players, the Murcian added this title to his European champion and the bronze medal he won last year.

The peculiarity of this tournament lies in the fact that, in addition to being played at a faster pace than usual, the six participants per team must include four men and one woman. The sixth board is for an amateur player who cannot have more than 2,000 ELO points. Anton's role was decisive. He scored 6.5 points and his best result was a victory against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, ranked 24th in the world. He didn't win again, but his level was rising: he drew against Anish Giri (12), Andrey Esipenko (39), Pavel Eljanov (53), and Nikita Vitiugov (51). "It's a very special victory and it gave me a lot of confidence. I think I was quite important against the strong teams," says the Murcian, whose team won its last four games and came from behind against Levon Aronian's powerful Hexamind (16).

At 29 years old and after a prolific career (he has been a Spanish champion and is one of only two players born in our country to have surpassed 2,700 ELO points), Antón (84) now faces his goals with greater peace of mind. Maturity has made him understand that the level of play is more important than the ELO, which is key to staying competitive. “The ELO is something that obsesses you when you're younger. After so many years, I follow it much less. You realize that obsessing over it isn't good,” he explains.

“The ELO is something you obsess over when you're younger, but now I follow it much less.”

Battle-hardened, this Murcian who was born and bred to be a mathematician but opted for the chessboard has learned to handle defeat with humility. “Losing is always going to be hard; if it doesn't bother you, it's because you've lost your competitive edge. In chess, you know that even if you win, you're going to make mistakes, and that humbles you.” Antón refuses to accept the thought that he won't be able to compete in a Candidates Tournament, a prelude to the World Championship, although he knows it will be difficult. “It's normal for it not to happen. But I think it's possible because I've always been an inconsistent player. I've had some very good tournaments and others not so good. I know it could happen, but I have to be inspired,” he acknowledges.

In this modern chess game that's shining brightly on the internet (the number of players has grown significantly since the pandemic), machines are getting ever closer to perfection. "Any chess software, even mobile software, plays better than any human. The rivalry between humans and computers makes no sense, but thanks to these engines, it's easier to study."

With so much studying, anyone could become bored with such a demanding sport. That doesn't exist for Antón. "Those who play chess really enjoy it. It's hard to find someone who says, 'I never want to play again in my life.' Even those who say that end up coming back. It's a very addictive sport. It's hard to quit."

“It usually doesn't happen, but if I'm inspired, I know I could be in a Candidates Tournament.”

Not to quit, but Magnus Carlsen decided a few years ago to stop competing in the World Championship, something that, for Antón, means that "whoever wins the championship has a little less merit since he's not there." "For me, he's the best in history, and he continues to prove it," the Murcian clarifies.

As with Bobby Fisher, Carlsen has now opted for Freestyle , a format different from classical chess in which opening theory disappears. "I see it as normal," says Antón, "when you're the best in the world, you demonstrate it in positions that the other person doesn't know by heart." FIDE, however, has taken a stand against this format, something Antón doesn't understand. "I don't like the way it's acting. Freestyle shouldn't be its competition; it's quite different, and it shouldn't be involved," he concludes.