India has good future: Salov

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, NOV. 28. Grandmaster Valery Salov is convinced that India definitely has a future in chess. He should know, having coached the Indian team for the Olympiad. He is also happy that he was able to contribute to India's fine show at Istanbul.

``I am really impressed by the Indian youngsters. The game is definitely on the rise here,'' he told The Hindu at Hyatt Regency on Tuesday. He said he did not expect the Indian men to finish eighth, which was quite a creditable performance by any yardstick. ``It was a great effort. Looking back, even a sixth place was possible in Turkey,'' he said.

Salov was disappointed that S. Vijayalakshmi went out of the World championship. ``It really was unfortunate, because I was hoping much from her here. But she was brilliant at the Olympiad. Though she won only the silver, she scored more number of points than the gold medallist, and could have won the gold herself if she decided to rest for a game or two. But since the team needed her, she played all the games,'' said the 36-year-old Russian who now lives near Madrid in Spain.

Apart from Viji, as Vijayalakshmi is better known, he also rates Abhijit Kunte, Krishnan Sasikiran and Pendyala Harikrishna very highly. ``Viji's sister Meenakshi is also talented. All these youngsters should do well in the coming years,'' he said.

Salov, a former World No. 3, stopped playing chess professionally after 1995, when he was at the peak of his career, because of ``political reasons.'' He is here as a commentator for FIDE. He also tries to help out the Indian players whenever he could get time.

``I keep myself busy by doing many things,'' he said. He is the president of the World Players Council. He also writes on chess, besides taking up coaching assignments.

Salov, whose highest rating was 2715 Elo points in 1995, learnt the game when he was seven from a local chess club in Leningrad. He became a Soviet National Master when he was 14 and he completed his GM title in 1986. Among his finest achievements on the board include the Inter-Zonals in 1987 and the tournament victories in Amsterdam in 1991 (he finished ahead of Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Nigel Short) and Tilburg in 1994.

Salov, on his third visit to India, is enchanted by the country and its ancient civilization. Like many Russians he enjoys watching Hindi movies. He caught up with the Bollywood when he was training the Indian team at Bangalore. ``I like these actresses a lot - Aishwarya Rai, Shipla Shetty, Karishma Kapoor...''

Doesn't he miss playing chess?

``No, I don't,'' he said. ``Now I have a lot of time left to myself, and as a person I have developed more.''

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