A BUBBLY KID…Varun Dattani
MUMBAI, July 23: From the chess board to the keyboard, Varun Dattani is a multi-faceted eight-year-old.
Expending energy on the mind sport does not curtail Varun’s penchant for music as a double grade from London’s Trinity College of Music reveals. Nor does a surfeit of activity from karate to tennis hamper academics at which the youngster excels testified by a consistent top three ranking.
The precociously talented youngster has been quietly making waves, not only on the local chess scene but also at the National level.
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Varun is a two-time under-8 state champion, has won two open tournaments in his age category and has participated in three National Children festivals with his best result coming in 1996 in Chembur where he finished fifth.
Incredibly, the first of his two state titles came when he was just six years old! Besides, he has also won the under-8 title in the Global Telesystems International Rating tournament at Andheri in March.
Sponsored by British Airways, who will take care of travel expenses, Varun will participate in three age categories in the British Open from August 7 to 15 — the under-8, 9 and 10. Varun hopes to top in the under-8 category.
“We are hoping for the best result from him in Britain,” says Paresh Dattani, Varun’s father.
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Varun, who enjoys the unflagging support of his parents, matches wits against Fritz 3, Chess Master and Chess Mentor computer programmes. Being tutored by Parag Varde, one of the top coaches in Mumbai, Varun enjoys the advantage of taking on stronger players.
Varun likes the Garry Kasparov’s aggressive style of play and has an inclination for his idol’s favourite Sicilian Defence.
Cathedral and John Connon School are a source of encouragement for Varun, studying in the fourth standard. “They are so proud of him that they have borrowed one of the trophies Varun won for them in the Inter-Schools championships,” says Paresh. “They have also granted him special leave to participate in the British Open,” he adds.
Ravindra Dongre, the secretary of the Maharashtra Chess Association who has played Varun in the Global TeleSystems International Rating tournament in Andheri, recalls that game vividly. “He was playing very fast and tended to be careless. Though he lost, he impressed me with his positioning. He is definitely one of the brightest players emerging from Mumbai,” says Dongre.
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According to Dongre, Varun needs more than Varde’s “exceptional” coaching. “No doubt that Varde is an excellent coach for budding talent, but Varun needs more. His positional play is good, but he has to be taught to be a good tactical player. There also lies the danger of burn out. I have seen many players lose interest because of wrong or excessive coaching. That should not happen to Varun,” Dongre cautions.
Varde, training Varun for three years, believes him to be among his most talented students. “He is young but very talented with a sharp eye for combinations,” he affirms. “But the problem with him is that sometimes he just refuses to practice too hard. His age may be one of the reasons. The good thing is that subconsciously he may be guarding himself from overkill,” Varde adds.
And he is convinced about his ward’s abilities, discerning a potential to achieve a Grandmaster’s title.
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