The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Young brigade promises fierce battles

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Wednesday, Jun 22, 2011
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Young brigade promises fierce battles

Rakesh Rao

NEW DELHI: One positive aspect of having a young field in chess is that it minimises the possibility of slow, boring draws.

Most youngsters, by nature, go for decisive battles. And nothing serves as a better advertisement for this cerebral sport than an uninterrupted supply of fierce battles.

Given the majority of young, proven talents in the field for the Airport Authority of India (AAI) International chess tournament, that opens here on Wednesday, the prospects of some enthralling battles loom large over the next 11 days.

Six players, headed by Italian teen sensation Fabiano Caruana, will test each other twice – once with each colour – in the first event of its kind in India. Though the country has been busy producing champions at all levels, particularly over the past decade, the lack of strong tournaments for the elite Indian players at home has been sorely missed.

It has taken the nation seven years to host a quality event that has the potential to get the attention of the chess world. In September 2004, Pune hosted a 10-player event that boasted of an average rating of 2630.

This time, the average rating, of six players, stands at 2662 thereby making it the highest rated event in the country.

Caruana is favourite

The field has an interesting mix of accomplished players looking to grow stronger in times to come. Going by the participants, international rating, which reflects their playing strength, Caruana starts as the ‘favourite'. But in a field like this, where each player's preparedness is unquestionable, a surprise winner can never be ruled out.

Caruana, 18, is known for his good calculations while planning his assaults. His tactical skills, more than positional strength, make him a delightful exponent. Victor Laznica, 23, another serious contender. This Czech is more of a positional player who doesn't mind playing the waiting game.

Oldest player

At 30, K. Sasikiran is the oldest but enjoys unmatched experience of having played against all the leading players in the world. He is known to push hard for victory even after getting a miniscule edge.

“Perhaps, I am the least prepared player in this field,” says the strongest player in the country after Anand.

Sasikiran clearly suffered from the absence of opportunities to play such events at home when he was in his teens.

“I am not afraid of losing. I am afraid of losing out on invitations to play in such events,” said Sasikiran as he looked forward to facing the challenge from the field dominated by the teen-brigade.

So Wesley, 17, is a typical Filipino who plays attacking chess, sometimes almost too wild for his own comfort. A Grandmaster from the age of 14, Wesley lived up to the early promise by winning the Corus ‘C' title in 2009.

At 16, Women World champion China's Hou Yifan may lack experience of playing in the strong all-play-all events but enjoys the reputation of being the most aggressive player in women's chess.

Being the least rated here, Hou has the potential to create maximum surprises.

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