India eye podium finish in Chess Olympiad
Archiman Bhaduri | Aug 26, 2012, 12.15AM IST
KOLKATA: After the Olympics, it is time for the Olympiad. A 10-member Indian chess squad left for Istanbul (Turkey) on Saturday, hoping for a podium finish in the Chess Olympiad that gets under way on Monday.
The team will be without the country’s top players in both the men’s and women’s categories. Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and Grandmaster Koneuru Humpy have both decided to give the tournament a miss due to personal reasons. The Indian squad, however, has enough depth to mount a strong challenge in the competition.
The Indian side did not have a camp before the event this time as most of the top players were busy playing different tournaments around the world.
“We are all doing our homework and are in touch with each other,” P Harikrishna told TOI on Saturday.
The Grandmaster said he plans a new approach in the tournament this time. “It’s a long tournament. We have to play 11 games. I will try to take one game at a time to stay fresh,” he said.
A veteran of seven Olympiads, Hari feels India have failed to finish on the podium because the players have been inconsistent in the past.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
India can win without Anand.