Chess Olympiad 2022: We have perfect blend of youth and experience, says India A captain Srinath Narayanan

Add as a preferred source on Google

Mahabalipuram, July 29: India 'A' men's team which comprises Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, SL Narayanan and K Sasikiran is seeded third in the Open section. The A team has an average rating of 2696 and is being coached by Srinath Narayanan.

Narayanan, the Indian Grand Master - who won the Asian Junior Chess Championship in 2012, 2013, and 2014 - is confident of a good show in the showpiece event.

In an interaction with myKhel.com during the pre-event press conference of the multi-nation competition, the 28-year-old said the team is quite optimistic and positive and is looking forward to doing well at home.

Here are the excerpts:

MyKhel: What're your expectations from the Chess Olympiad 2022?

Srinath Narayanan: The expectations are quite optimistic and quite positive. We'vean excellent team -- a good mix of youth and experience and we're looking forward to the start of the tournament.

MK: What're the strengths and weaknesses of your team going into the competition?

SN: I think each player has his/her own (strengths and weaknesses) in that sense. We've a well-rounded team. We've the most experienced player in Krishnan Sasikiran in the team. Then we've P Harikrishna who has the experience and is probably the second most experienced (player) and then we've two young debutants in Arjun and SL Narayanan. And then there's Vidit in the middle with the right mix of youth and experience.

MK: Magnus Carlsen isn't participating in the World Chess Championships. How do you think it'll impact the competition?

SN: I think it's his first choice firstly, secondly it's not an unheard thing in chess history and it's quite understandable. I think this is a part of the growth and evolution of the sport.

MK: Recently Carlsen praised the Indian B team and cautioned the others to be wary of you guys. How does that make you feel?

SN: It's a very proud feeling in a sense like all the Indian teams are brothers and it's about the team. It's a very good feeling and the players are going to be part of the Indian team one way or another. So I'm pretty happy about it.

MK: What according to you are the advantages and disadvantages of playing at home and which team can pose a tough challenge to the Indian team?

SN: I think the USA team definitely is going to be the biggest challenge (and a tough opponent as they are seeded number one). I think playing at home has its own pros and cons. The pros will be excellent facilities and everything would be within our reach (and we don't have to think much about that). The cons, I would say will be the pressure of expectations from the home crowd.