The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Harikrishna's plight

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Monday, Nov 08, 2004

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Sport - Chess

Harikrishna's plight

By Our Sports Reporter

HYDERABAD, NOV. 7. It is back to square one for chess prodigy Pendyala Harikrishna. The Grandmaster has to look out for a new sponsor since the software giant, Wipro, has intimated to him that its four-year alliance will come to an end next month.

"By all means we have to start from scratch," said Harikrishna, who has the distinction of erasing the record of former World champion Viswanathan Anand to become the youngest Grandmaster ever from India at the age of 15 years, three months and five days.

"It is not that we are taken aback by the decision. It was on the cards. But, the fact that we don't have anyone immediately to look up to is somewhat painful," remarked Harikrishna.

What exactly does he need? "It all comes down to the basics. At this level (Grandmaster), you have to have at least two training sessions with a reputed coach, preferably a Grandmaster, every year. And this is not possible if we were to take care of the expenditure on our own," said Harikrishna.

For instance, to have someone like British GM Nigel Short as a trainer for a three-week period, it would cost about Rs. five lakhs. And to have a `second' of your choice, the amount would be much higher, Harikrishna said.

What the Hyderabad star needs now is a sponsorship deal which could take care of his minimum expenditure of about Rs. nine lakhs per annum.

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