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A self-made player
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Anand Kamat is a self-made man in a field that requires thorough grooming
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PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR
A CHAMPION Anand Kamat is an attacking player
You could mistake him for a university professor, glued to his computer at the Microsoft office in Gachibowli. Few know, perhaps even at his work place, that he finished close behind current world chess champion V. Anand in the national sub-junior championships, way back in 1983.
Anand Kamat began exploring the kingdom extending over 64 squares when just seven years old. That he had the required grey matter to effect early conquests became evident when he won district and state level tournaments in Maharashtra in the under 16 years (sub-junior) and 19 (junior) categories. By 1989-90, he was the state champion.
Kamat couldn't test his wits in the National B championships, as his engineering exams were round the corner. But while avidly thumping books, he captained Nagpur University's chess team twice.
His 1989 junior National performance earned him the Sports Authority of India's talent scholarship. So was he chosen for special coaching by a Russian Grand Master.
In a game that needs much grooming, Kamat was a self-made player. He did however model his game on V. Anand and Garry Kasparov. Like them he was an attacking player, the middle game being his forte. The aggressive assaults unleashed by Kasparov and Shirov against extremely strong players had his jaw dropping in awe as they went on to emerge victorious in very complicated situations.
Setting his sights higher, he took part in the World Open in the U.S. a few times. Those were not mere outings, for on one occasion, he drew with Grand Master Ronald Dableo of the Philippines, whose ELO rating is 2593. The toughest opponent Kamat took on was American GM Alexander Fishbein with an ELO rating of 2604.
Nonetheless, he rates his Maharashtra State Open triumph in 1989 as his highest achievement. The `Brilliancy Prize' he won for an inter school tournament when just 10 years old ranks pretty high too. Outside the realm of chess, becoming a father in September 2000 was his most memorable moment.
Has work driven him away from the game he loves? Not really. He met a few of the present generation players at an open tournament in Hyderabad. In his playing days, he was close to Grand Master Abhijit Kunte, Anup Deshmukh, Dilip Pagay and Vishal Sareen.
Against an all-time high of 2285, Anand's current FIDE rating is 2240. And what of the mind game at Microsoft?
"It helps me with many real life situations, to focus on what's most important, analyse variations in any circumstance, make decisions and a difference," concludes Kamat.
A. JOSEPH ANTONY
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