Tuesday, Apr 08, 2003
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Chess
By Rakesh Rao
MASTERS OF THE GAME: The strongest player in the Asian team chess championship, China's Ye Jiangchuan (second from right) engaged in an animated conversation with the continent's talented young stars like (from left) India's Aarthie Ramaswamy, China's World champion Zhu Chen and Krishnan Sasikiran on the eve of the event in Jodhpur on Monday. — Photo: R.V. Moorthy
For the next nine days, the ground floor hall of the centrally air-conditioned Abhay Days Hotel will turn into a battlefield for the eagerly-awaited war of pieces. Going by the strengths of the players on view, China will open as an obvious favourite in both sections. India, making the most of the privileges of being the host, has entered three teams in each section. Matches in the men's section are played over four boards — one more than what one gets to watch in the women's competition. The tournament would be played on a round-robin format. For the record, the men from Uzbekistan and the ladies representing China `A' had claimed the honours at Shenyang in 1999. The Indian men turned in their best performance in the championship and claimed the bronze after being tied for the second spot with Kazakhstan. Similarly, the Indian women shared the second spot, with China `B', before settling for the third spot. China's men's team could not have been stronger. It's four best players, headed by the vastly-experienced Ye Jiangchuan, will be hard to catch. The 42-year-old, the strongest player in the field with a rating of 2682, is accompanied by the current sensation Zhang Zhong (2628), twice Asian champion Xu Jun (2624) and a steady Zhang Pengxiang (2596). Yu Zhaotang, an International Master as a reserve player is the only new face in the combination which finished fifth in the Olympiad last year. From India's point of view, it would have been great if Viswanathan Anand had reconsidered his stand to stay from the National squad in team events, like the Olympiad and this one. Considering the fact that the winner of this event qualifies for the World team championship comprising continental champions, Anand's presence could have turned India's fortunes around. Still, for the first time in India's chess history, India will be fielding an all-GM team. Spearheaded by K. Sasikiran, the recently-crowned Asian champion, the India `A' team also has P. Hari Krishna, Abhijeet Kunte, Dibyendu Barua and Surya Sekhar Ganguly. It may be remembered that it was more or less the same team that ended up 29th in the Olympiad. China surely looks very formidable but India `A' is not without hope. The host will do well to draw inspiration from the World's victory over pre-event favourite Russia last year. On view, there will be a `novelty' of different kind. Koneru Humpy will be heading the India `B' team which includes R.B. Ramesh, Pravin Thipsay, Sandipan Chanda and Tejas Bakre. Although Humpy cannot be expected to take decisions regarding board-order, like a captain usually does in a team event, she will have reasons to feel proud. Humpy, who makes her debut in a team event, will add to her long list of `firsts.' On Tuesday, Humpy will become the first woman from India, as well as the first in the history of the championship, to play in the men's section, that too, on the top board for her team as captain. What more, such a record cannot be surpassed. Obviously happy on being made the captain, Humpy said, "I'll be trying out a few new openings here. After Corus `B' championship (in January), I've been working hard on the openings.'' It may be recalled that Humpy's opening repertoire has remained limited and needed more attention. The India `C' team, which was to get to play only in case of an odd-entry, is now set to make the field. Though G.B. Prakash and S. Satyapragyan have stayed away for different reasons, the team including Sriram Jha, Dinesh Kumar Sharma, Roktim Bandopadhyay and last-minute replacement Lanka Ravi is capable of doing reasonably well. For the point of view of experience and exposure, the members of the `C' teams, in both sections, are sure to gain immensely. But then, other nations will have a justifiable reason to fear that the presence of three teams from one nation can lead to a `crucial' twist in the title-race. Defending champion Uzbekistan, which is yet to arrive, will find it difficult to retain the title. Despite having four GMs in its ranks, Uzbekistan will have to play much above its known strength to stop China and India `A'. Vietnam is a nation which is sure to make things difficult for the contenders. Dao Thien Hai, Nguyen Anh Dong and Tu Hong Thong, with ratings between 2564 and 2506 are the strongest in Vietnam. Vietnam's chances for a medal cannot be written off. For Iran, whose arrival is awaited, only Ehsan Ghaem Maghami is likely to pose any threat on the top board. Kazakhstan, hoping to cause some damage through GMs Darmen Sadvakasov and Pavel Kotsur, is likely to join Kyrgystan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan and Macau among the also-rans. Indonesia, Singapore and Afghanistan have withdrawn. Like the men's section, China's challenge in the women's section looks too strong for the rest. After all, a combination that is good enough to win the Olympiad for third time in succession, should just brush aside all opposition. Led by World champion Zhu Chen, the team including World Cup winner Xu Yuhua, Wang Yu and reserve player Huang Qian looks unbeatable. That leaves the other teams fighting for the second spot. India's answer comes from its `A' team comprising the nation's latest Woman GM and National champion Aarthie Ramaswamy, S. Vijayalakshmi, Nisha Mohota and Dronvalli Harika. It is after a long gap that Vijayalakshmi, twice winner of the Olympiad silver on the top board, will not be seen in her familiar position. Though Aarthie is heading India's campaign, much depends on how Vijayalakshmi performs. Nisha, despite her return to form in the National `A' in January, is not known for being consistent while it will be unfair to expect too much from a young debutant like Harika. India `B', the all Woman International Masters combination, has S. Meenakshi, Swati Ghate, Tania Sachdev and the seasoned Bhagyashree Thipsay. India `C' has youngsters Y. Pratibha, Eesha Karavade in the company of the experienced Saheli Dhar-Barua and Anupama Gokhale. If the recent form of these players is anything to go by, no stunning results can be expected. But given the weak nature of the field, these players should have reasons to be pleased. Again, barring China and India `A', only Vietnam looks a worthy candidate to make it to the medal-bracket. Former World junior girls and Asian women's champion Hoang Thanh Trang, who won the top-board gold at the Olympiad ahead of Vijayalakshmi, will be watched with added interest. Her team-mates Ngyung Thi Thanh Ah and Le Kiev Thien are capable of providing the country a happy finish. Although the Kazakhstan line-up has a WGM in Maria Sergeyeva, and Turkmenistan has Mahri Geldiev, they look good only to finish ahead of teams like Bangladesh, Iran, Kyrgystan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan. In the past, since the championship began at Penang, Malaysia, in 1972, the event has not been able to attract a very large field. What made matter worse was the irregularity with which the event was hosted. But with the chess players from the continent gradually earning the respect of the western world, this premier event has the potential to be one of the most sought-after championships in the continent. This edition might well trigger off its revival on a grand scale. First round pairings: Men: Kyrgystan v India `A'; Turkmenistan v India `C'; Vietnam v Kazakhstan; Sri Lanka v Macau; India `B' v Uzbekistan; Malaysia v China. Women: Bangladesh v Turkmenistan; Malaysia v Uzbekistan; Srilanka v Vietnam; India `A' v Kazakhstan; Kyrgystan v India `C'; India `B' v China.
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