AICF gets foreign help for Olympiad

While doubts linger on Viswanathan Anand’s participation in the Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany in November...

While doubts linger on Viswanathan Anand’s participation in the Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany in November, the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has hired two foreign coaches to help India prepare for the event. Elizbar Ubilava and Lev P Sakhis are expected to arrive early next month after the Sports Ministry approved the proposal to get them on-board.

Though Anand’s availability is not confirmed because he is expected to still be recovering from his high-profile world championship face-off with Vladmir Kramnik (October 11-30) by the time the Olympiad starts on November 15, the AICF has finalised both the men’s and women’s squads.

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The men’s squad comprises of Anand (subject to availability), K Sasikiran, P Harikrishna, SS Ganguly, Sandipan Chanda, and GN Gopal as a reserve player. The women’s team will consist of D Harika, Tania Sachdev, Nisha Mohota, Swathi Ghate and Mary Ann Gomes.

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All the members, except Anand, will attend three 15-day camps beginning on June 5 in different centres across India before the teams fly to Germany for a 20-day camp in Dresden.

Men’s coach Ubilava, who was Anand’s second for several years, is reputed for his coaching on openings — the main weakness of the Indian teams. The Georgian, who now lives in Spain, has coached former world champions Anatoly Karpov and Anand in the past, and was the Indian team’s coach in Calvia in 2004. He is the currently coaching Harikrishna.

Israeli Sakhis, renowned for his middle and end-game training, was an international player himself, and has worked with several big stars including Gary Kasparov.