Chess Olympiad: Indian GM duo in charge of Brazil teams | Chess News – Times of India

Representational image (Reuters Photo)

CHENNAI: The name Brazil evokes passion among millions of football fans from across the world. The South American giants are one of the favourites for the football World Cup in Qatar later this year, but Brazil isn’t a mug on the 64 squares either.
The Brazilian teams that will take part in the Olympiad in Mahabalipuram this month have a few strong players both in open and women’s categories.
In a bid to make an impression in the event, Brazil Chess Federation roped in two Indian Grandmasters, Priyadharshan Kannappan and Ankit Rajpara, as the captain-cum-coaches of the teams.
While Tamil Nadu’s Priyadharshan will be at the helm of the open team, Ankit, from Gujarat, is in charge of the women’s side. Interestingly, the Madurai-based Priyadharshan, who is India’s 44th Grandmaster, was recommended for the top job by his former college-mate Andre Diamant who is part of the open team.
“Andre was my senior at Webster University in the USA and we have known each other for a long time. When Andre asked me to be part of the team, I was more than happy to do so. I believe the Brazil team has a terrific line-up of players who will be a handful for many teams during the tournament,” Priyadharshan told TOI.
Once Priyadharshan came on board, he got Ankit on board as well. While Priyadarshan has coached India’s sub-junior team in 2019, Ankit has only coached individual players so far.
“Coaching a team is a different experience altogether,” Ankit told TOI.
Brazil possesses a rich history in chess thanks to Henrique Costa Mecking, the country’s first Grandmaster. Mecking remains one of the finest to have emerged from Brazil and achieved a peak ranking of world No. 3 in January 1978 behind the legendary Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi.
If one glances through the Brazilian open team, all eyes will be on Luis Paulo Supi who earned global acclaim when he beat Magnus Carlsen in just 18 moves during an online game back in May, 2020.
“The pandemic has seen chess players in Brazil gaining popularity and their matches have been watched by millions of people,” Andre pointed out.
While Brazil’s open team is seeded 28th, the women’s side are placed 36th.
India’s 36th GM Ankit believes that the women’s team is under-rated and can spring a surprise at the event.
“We have players such as Terao Juliana Sayumi who are seasoned campaigners. The women’s team will not be taken lightly by anyone,” Ankit mentioned.
Both Priyadharshan and Ankit are coaching an international side for the first time.
For a country whose heartbeat is football, the Olympiad presents an opportunity for chess to gather a loyal following.
“There is already a lot of interest in the sport, be it in schools or among the youngsters. We have about 6000 registered players in the country and the numbers could only go up in the future. But for that to happen, we will have to come up with a good show at the Olympiad. Good performances in big tournaments automatically pique the interest of youngsters,” Andre said.
The two coaches have been conducting the training sessions online.
Macedo Maximo Igor, president of Brazil Chess Federation, is keen to have a longer stint with Priyadharshan and Ankit.
“There is a lot of talent in Brazil. We want to continue with this partnership and are keen to see chess grow in our country,” said Macedo.