CHENNAI: The UMumba Masters is geared up for Season 2 of the Global Chess League (GCL). The team is coached by Grandmaster Srinath N, who was the captain of the Indian men's team that captured gold at the Chess Olympiad. The franchise has a good mixture of experience and youth with players like Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Vidit Gujrathi, Alexander Grischuk, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and Raunak Sadhwani in their ranks.
Maxime is a world blitz title holder while Vidit, Humpy and Harika are seasoned players. Raunak was a bronze medallist at the 2022 Chennai Olympiad. Srinath believes that his team, who were finalists in the last edition, has the potential to have a crack at the crown. In a chat with the New Indian Express, Srinath spoke about the quality of the league, his coaching mantra and more. Excerpts...
On the quality and format of the Global Chess League
The quality of players is immensely high. Pretty much everyone participating in GCL is a strong Grandmaster. It is definitely a great initiative and I hope that it turns out to be a great success.
On Indian gold medallists (Chess Olympiad) and their rise in popularity
They are popular and exciting players and they'll be followed keenly wherever they go. It is a big boost for Indian chess.
On UMumba Masters
UMumba Masters is a strong team, but so are every other team. We had good team spirit last edition and we have retained most of the players.
On key players for UMumba
I wouldn't pick any particular player as everyone in the team is a seasoned Grandmaster and a champion in their own right.
On his approach for guiding a league team
The first thing is I try to bring all the players together and align them to one common objective as they are all very different people in different age groups and different nationalities. It's important to have good bonding.
On the difference between coaching a national team and a league side
The national team consists of players from one country, so there isn't much cultural difference. The players have also played together for several years already. In a league side, we usually have players from different nationalities, so in that sense, it's more challenging.
On high expectations for his side, having successfully captained a national team
I don't think there is any pressure on me as such. I enjoy the job (coaching) and go about the process that I have in mind.
On strengths and weaknesses of UMumba
Our strength is our team spirit. There are no specific weaknesses as such.
On his coaching mantra
My usual method of coaching is to identify the individual's strength, find any obstacles in the way, remove it and just let them flow.
On Viswanathan Anand being part of the league and how he could inspire youngsters
Absolutely. Even for me, as a fan, it is always a pleasure to watch Anand play.
On usage of video analysis
We don't use video analysis much. But we use data a lot as chess information is easily available in the form of moves and notation.
On chess engines and how it could improve a person's game
Yes, players should definitely use chess engines, but it is important to balance it and not become dependent on it. Just like how using our body to move is fundamentally important to stay physically fit, similarly using our brain to think and solve problems is fundamentally important to keep it in shape.