The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : A chess prodigy on the horizon

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Sunday, Oct 04, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

A chess prodigy on the horizon

V.V. Subrahmanyam

Deepthamsh Reddy puts up a good show at World Youth Chess Olympiad in Turkey recently

Focussed: Deepthamsh Reddy

HYDERABAD: For the 14-year-old Deepthamsh Reddy, the silver medallist in individual category (board prize) and the team silver medallist in the World Youth Chess Olympiad (under-16) in Turkey on Friday, could only be deemed as an extension of his impressive run in the big league of late.

Only a few weeks ago, this Hyderabad-based gifted player outwitted two Grandmasters in Spain when he toured with the Indian team as part of the exposure trip organised by the All India Chess Federation.

Immense potential

So, when Deepthamsh, born in a family of farmers from the relatively obscure Amanagallu village in Kalvakurthy (Mahabubnagar), picked the silver in the championship which also saw India settle for the same behind gold medallist and ahead of bronze medallist Armenia, it was not a surprise at all given his immense potential.

Coach L. V. Siva Kumar, who also trains World under-10 girls champion Sahajasri, reminds that Deepthamsh is very good in positional play and the only area of concern is the way he often slips into time pressure.

But the Istanbul trip seemed to provide enough hints that this young champion in-the-making, has all the credentials to be the star to watch out. The fact that he happens to be the only one from Andhra Pradesh after a gap of five years to win a medal in the World Youth Olympiad is in itself a notable achievement which should only boost his confidence level.

Determination

For the record, Gogini Rohit (2003) and D. Sai Srinivas (2004) got the silver in individual. That it took five years for an Andhra chess player to pick a prize in an event of this magnitude is yet another reminder of the growing stature of Deepthamsh in the chess circuit.

Well, the way this youngster has decided to stay put in the city only to be with his coach even while pursuing studies in his native village, thanks to the cooperation of the school authorities, is another success story of a village boy making it big by sheer determination and passion.

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