Cool and calm Abinandhan making his moves

MUMBAI: His baby-face belies the punches he has been throwing on the board in the under-14 category of the World Youth

Chess

championships in Mumbai. R Abinandhan, seeded a lowly 55th, is in sole lead after he waylaid LR Srihari. The Chennai lad has 7 points from eight rounds and has just two draws. With three more rounds to go, Abinandhan could be on for something special.


For someone with an elo rating of just 1830, Abinandhan got the better of Srihari who is a top-rated player at 2283.

Grandmaster RB Ramesh, his coach in Chennai, says the reason why Abinandhan is getting good results is because he is playing with a calm mind.

"Usually kids at this age get very anxious. I tutor them to play with a calm mind, show professionalism towards preparation and, on the board too. Usually players who achieve a big result, whether it is a single round or a tournament, think they have achieved something big. What I tell them is if they achieve something big, it means they have reached a higher plane and need to start preparation at that level. Some players have it in them to take it, others don't. It depends from player to player," explained Ramesh.

"Getting a good break is also equally important for a player," feels Ramesh.

Abinandhan himself feels it is his mental preparation which is allowing to pull off one stunning result after another. He is reeling off a rating performance of 2568 prior to the round eight victory. It is bound to shoot up even further, after his victory over Srihari. Abinandhan, who studies in the

Chettinad

Hari Shree Vidyalaya, has been working on his openings of late.

For somebody who does not have much of a chess background, it is a commendable achievement. His interest in chess developed after watching his elder brother tutor other kids. "My brother used to take classes, and the game entered my realm. I started playing it more seriously," said Abinandhan.