Chess revolution leads to GM extravaganza

A revolution in Orissa chess is all set to deliver a resounding success with the staging of the 1st SCS International Open GM Tournament at Hotel Swosti Plaza in Bhubaneswar from tomorrow. The week-long tournament has come as a golden opportunity for Indian players to improve their Elo ratings, gain norms and secure titles. With not more than three/four cities hosting Open GM Tournaments in the country, players are often forced to go abroad to avail the opportunity. Since playing abroad is an expensive proposition, only a few are able to afford it. Considering the sizeable number of title-holders (75) in the fray, the total prize money (Rs 10 lakh) and top class hospitality, the SCS Open is expected to set a new bench mark in the history of chess tournaments in India. ``We have received around 300 entries from seven countries so far. When acceptance of entries close tomorrow, we expect the total numbers to go up to 350,’’ said organising committee member Sekhar Chandra Sahu at a media conference here on Saturday. Among the 75 title holders, there are 23 Grand Masters (18 foreigners, 5 Indians), five Woman Grand Masters, 29 International Masters, three Woman International Masters, 14 Fide Masters and one Woman Fide Master. The field includes players from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh, Zambia and Nepal. Grandmaster Sergey Tiviakov (Russia/Netherlands) with an Elo rating of 2697 has been made the top seed. There are four players in the fray with Elo ratings of over 2,600 and seven above 2,500. The second to 10th places in the seeding list have been allotted in the order to GMs Igro Kurnosov (Rus), Yuriy Kuzubov (Ukr), Sergey Vokarov (Rus), Yuri Drozdovskij (Ukr), Roman Ovachikin (Rus), Evgeny Vorobev (Rus), Yaroslav Zinchenko (Ukr), Abhijeet Gupta (Ind) and Alexander Zubarev (Ukr). Besides World Junior champion Abhijeet Gupta, most of the top-rung Indian names including Grandmasters Neelotpal Das, Abhijeet Kunte, Deepan Chakrabverty, Tejas Bakre: WGMs Mary Ann Gomes, Nisha Mohota, S Meenakshi, Arthie Ramaswamy: IMs RR Laxman, B Adhiban, Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury, Deep Sengupta, Swayangsu Satyapragyan, WIMs Padmini Rout and Kiran Manisha Mohanty will be seen in action. Of the prize money, the champion will receive Rs 2 lakhs, while the second and third place finishers will be given Rs 1.20 lakhs and Rs 75,000 respectively. The 10-round tournament will conclude on June 14. One of the creditable aspects of the tournament is that it is being organised by an ad-hoc committee. All India Chess Federation (AICF) appointed the five-member committee in March this year after expelling Orissa State Chess Association for its acts of omissions and commissions. In a short span of just two and half months, the ad-hoc committee has literally revolutionalised the game, introducing several positive measures for the benefit of players of the state. The committee is fortunate that it has found a highly enthusiastic sponsor in city-based Star Consultancy Services (SCS). Starting from state selection championships to the Rs 55 lakh-worth International Open GM Tournament and from felicitation functions to routine administrative jobs, the expenses of all the events and activities are being taken care of by SCS. ``SCS is committed to promote chess in Orissa. The company wants chess talents of the state to grow and achieve success at the international arena,’’ said Triveni Kumar Mohanty, the director of the investment company. AICF treasurer Bharat Singh Chauhan felt that by hosting a tournament of his magnitude, Temple City Bhubaneswar has become the new hotspot of Indian chess. ``Bhubaneswar has put regular destinations like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata under pressure,’’ he admitted. Top seed Tiviakov, who was present at the media conference, revealed that Indian culture, nature and hospitality lured him to come to Orissa and play the tournament. ``Today I visited some of the temples of the city and liked them very much,’’ he informed. Ukraine Grandmaster Yuri Drozdovskij, ad-hoc committee chairman Asit Mukherjee, convener Manoj Panigrahi, and Vivek Kumar Tibarewal, the most important man behind the revolution, were present at the media conference. Captions: Top: Grandmasters Sergey Tiviakov (left) and Yuri Drozdovskij at the media conference in Bhubaneswar on June 6, 2009. Bottom:Organising officials brief about the SCS International Open GM Chess Tournament in Bhubaneswar on June 6, 2009.

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