A fierce competition in prospect

By Rakesh Rao

NAGPUR, JUNE 29. This one is considered the toughest competition in domestic chess. A long list of hopefuls, no clear favourite and heaps of unexpected results. All these make the National `B' championship a real grind. More than the title-race, what holds the interest is the ways adopted by the aspirants to grab the 12 qualifying slots for the National `A' championship.

If Dibyendu Barua's spectacular triumph in the National `A' in New Delhi concluded the 2000-2001 calendar of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) on June 15, the championship which opens here on Saturday, signals the beginning of the new season.

For 13 rounds, spread over the next 10 days, over 200 players will battle it out at the Raisoni Engineering College hall here. International Master R.B. Ramesh, who was yet to arrive until late Friday afternoon, is likely to head the field which includes his brother and GM-elect G.B. Prakash and two GM- norm holder Sandipan Chanda.

As seen in the past, fierce competition keeps even the majority of qualifiers guessing till the very end. For instance, when Tejas Bakre won the previous championship, 11 other qualifiers scored an identical 9.5 points! Since progressive score is used in breaking the tie, the hopefuls are careful not to agree for quick draws, at least, in the first half of the championship. On the contrary, short draws are one reason that make the National `A' championship a predictable affair, to an extent.

To add to the excitement, the new four-hour format, which came into force earlier this year, will used for the first time in the championship. To make things even tougher, three rounds are slated to be held every two days. Thoughtfully, only one round will be held on each of the last four days.

As one witnessed during the National `A' championship, the quality of games suffered considerably towards the end of the third hour of play, when players try to beat the clock and attempt to complete 40 moves in 90 minutes. The same is likely to happen here too.

But spare a thought for those who played the strenuous 19-round National `A' just a fortnight back and are here to retain their places in the next edition of the premier championship. Prakash, V. Saravanan, Neelotpal Das, Sriram Jha, K. Murugan, Lanka Ravi, Atanu Lahiri, Nassir Wajih, Sekhar Sahu and Saptarshi Roy are the players whose endurance will be tested yet again.

From the above mentioned players, Prakash and Saravanan will have to gain. Their dismal performances in Delhi leave them far more motivation. Sandipan Chanda is another player who looks a great prospect.

One notable absentee from the line-up is the twice National champion D.V. Prasad. The Bangalore-based player is preparing for tournaments in Dortmund and Biel in July in his search for a Grandmaster-norm. Prasad is aiming to complete the GM-title requirements in Europe. Bakre, the defending champion, who missed the National `A' following a bout of jaundice has stayed away.

However, the time has also come for the AICF to review the format of its two-tier National championship. With the number of GMs set to go up, the policy of giving direct entry to the GMs will no longer be a fair one since it brings down the qualifying berths from National `B'.

At present, Prakash has completed the GM-norm requirements but needs to touch a rating of 2500 to gain the title. Sandipan Chanda, who last year missed qualification to National `A' by a whisker, needs one more norm to become a GM.

Coming back to the competition here, it will also be interesting to follow the progress of WGM S. Vijayalakshmi. This five-time National champion, with many firsts to her credit, is now trying to become the first woman to qualify for the men's National `A'. It is also a fine opportunity for Vijayalakshmi to underscore her prowess in a field dominated by male competitors.

Till this afternoon, no clear picture of the seeded players had emerged since many top players had not reached the city. The players' meeting, scheduled for Friday evening, would finalise the starting times of the rounds.

The venue is 10 kilometers from the MLA Rest House, where the players have been provided accommodation. The huge playing area has allowed the organiser to hold all the matches under one roof. However, the real picture will be seen once the first move is made on Saturday.

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