MUMBAI, July 30: Among India's chess whiz kids to be seen at the British Open next month is a petite eight-year-old, Ketki Kulkarni.Ketki is among the three talented schoolchildren of the same age from Mumbai to make her way to London on August 5. The others are Varun Dattani and Omkar Kulkarni.Ketki has shown traits of becoming a champion for the nation to savour in the years to come with her immense powers of concentration. For somebody so young it is amazing how Ketki's attention remains steady even as the game drags on. Armed with this prodigious mental strength, little Ketki will participate in three age groups in the Open the under-8, 9 and ten.Ketki, who won the under-8 State championships in 1996 in Nagpur by scoring five points in five rounds, achieved the feat when she was just seven. In the same year, Ketki was just one victory from becoming the National champion. She had to beat her last-round opponent but lost despite being a pawn up. That gave her the third position in the National Children's Chess Festival when it was held in Chembur in December of 1996.Coached by Dhanesh Shrikhande, who runs successful academies in Dombivli and at Vashi, Ketki has an advantage as she gets to battle her wits with at least 20 others who are either stronger or as good as her.Shrikhande says this about Ketki: ``She is aggressive, plays fast, is tactically strong and has lasting concentration. What she needs to improve is the positional understanding of the pieces.''Shrikhande believes that she is among his most talented students. ``She has at least 20 other players of her calibre to play with, but no one in her age group.''Ketki, who picked up the game by watching her father Nandu play, had learned to arrange the pieces by the time she was three. Nandu, a doting father, immediately taught her the basics of the game and when he saw the potential in Ketki, handed her over to Dhanesh three years ago. Ketki spends two hours a day, five times a week in Dhanesh's Euwe Chess Acadmey. She trains for an hour and plays matches in the remaining hour.Nandu has hopes that Ketki finishes among the top rankers in the British Open but is not planning to push her daughter too much if she fails in her mission. ``She is at the young age when she enjoys playing chess. I do not even expect her to analyse her games,'' he explains.Nandu has brought her a computer but doesn't not want her to play too much against it. ``At her age, she should have the perception of the game and should play more games against human beings. Once she learns to analyse, than she can battle her wits against the Computer.'' Nandu's expectations from Ketki are that she should achieve rating at age 12.``She too has the ambition of becoming India's Women Grandmaster. But I am not going to push her into doing it. As of now, I am exposing her to many things. If she loses interest in chess, she should at least have an alternative,'' he explains.Drawing and painting are Ketki's other interest and the hobbies should hold the youngster in good stead as an alternative if need be, but even more so as complementary pursuits to help her relax.Nandu cites the example of Judith Polgar, whom Ketki idolises. Nandu says the Polgar sisters were taught only chess and nothing else. ``The three sisters have been turned into machines by their parents.''Unlike Judith's favoured Sicilian defence, Ketki plays the Centre Counter and the Caro Kann with black and e4 with white.Ketki, who has won four Inter-Schools team titles for her institution, Chandrakant Patkar School, Dombivli, has received immense help by way of one week's leave to prepare for the British Open.Ketki and Varun Dattani's air tickets have been sponsored by travel agents from Vakola, JM Mehta and Co. And whenshe flies to London on August 5, it may be the beginning of a dream for her expectant family in Dombivli.
