CHENNAI: Buoyed by the return of Viswanathan Anand into the team, India will be looking to add another medal in the Open section of the 43rd Chess Olympiad, which gets underway in Batumi, Georgia, on Monday. As a matter of fact, India had won a historic first-ever bronze medal at the 2014 Olympiad in Tromso, Norway.
In the 2016 Olympiad in Baku, India had performed well but had to settle for the fourth spot. The 11-round tournament has attracted 185 countries and will witness fierce competition.
“It is nice that Anand decided to play at the Chess Olympiad. It gives the team huge confidence. We get to learn a lot from Anand,” reflected India No 2 Pentala Harikrishna when queried about Anand coming back into the team. One of India’s most successful coaches, RB Ramesh echoed the same: “It is great to see Anand back in the Indian team after a long gap. His mere presence will motivate younger players to give their best. We have a positive atmosphere among team members.”
India No 5 Baskaran Adhiban felt Anand being in the team has improved India’s chances in the biennial event. Having three players with a rating of 2700 and two players rated above 2650 indicates that the team has no weak link. The key to India’s success depends on how they fare against big teams like USA, Russia, China and Ukraine and if they can manage to not drop points against lesser-ranked teams. The only missing link in Anand’s CV is an Olympiad medal.
The five-time world champion will be looking for a +3 or +4 score on the top board, which is not going to be easy because of tough opposition. However, if Anand strikes form, it’s possible. One can expect Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi to bring solidity to the team. If Krishnan Sasikiran and Adhiban score heavily on the bottom boards, winning a medal will be a realistic possibility.
“We have an excellent chance of winning a medal at the Olympiad. Ten teams have a chance to win. There can always be some surprising results. At the same time, we also need some luck with pairing,” said Harikrishna.
Ramesh too sounded confident. “We are seeded fifth in the event and others will not take us lightly anymore. We should forget the reputation and focus on one match at a time. There will surely be tough moments but with the experience and talent available in the team, we will get through them successfully”
The one big name missing from the tournament is World champion Magnus Carlsen. He is out of the tournament probably to prepare for his World Championship match against Fabiano Caruana, which is scheduled to take place in November. Indian team: V Anand, P Harikrishna, Vidit Gujrathi, K Sasikiran & B Adhiban.
Past winners
2016: USA
2014: USA
2012: Armenia
2010: Ukraine
2008: Armenia
2006: Armenia
2004: Ukraine
2002: Russia
2000: Russia