The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Harikrishna to train with Ubilava from June 4

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Friday, Jun 03, 2005

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Sport - Chess

Harikrishna to train with Ubilava from June 4

V.V. Subrahmanyam

HYDERABAD: Pendyala Harikrishna is eagerly looking forward to his coaching stint with Elizabar Ubilava, who was Viswanathan Anand's `second' for more than a decade. Harikrishna will begin his training in Mumbai on June 4.

Speaking to The Hindu after returning from the United States where he took part in the toughest-ever Minneapolis Open tournament which featured 45 Grandmasters, Harikrishna said his training schedule had been finalised though nothing was discussed about the areas to focus on.

"Since I returned only today (Thursday), I had no time either to communicate with him or plan something specific," said the World Junior champion, adding that the month-long camp will be a one-to-one affair. Gas Authority of India Ltd. (GAIL) is sponsoring the entire programme.

"From the experience of my last Open event, it is obvious that I have to develop my opening repertoire. However, I was quite comfortable in the middle and endgames," Harikrishna said.

The 18-year-old will have an idea of the progress he has made under Ubilava when he plays in the Chinese invitation Grandmasters tournament (ELO 2580-plus) in July.

One of the most memorable experiences during his recent trip to the U.S. was watching Gata Kamsky in action. Kamsky tied for the second spot along with Harikrishna and seven others.

"It was good to see a class player like Gata come back into the circuit", Harikrishna said.

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