N. Raghavi had taken time off from chess while at her peak so that she could concentrate on her medical studies. Now that she has completed her MBBS course, she is back to the chessboard with a vengeance.
She is also on the medical team of the World Chess Championship.
She is one of the several city-based chess players who are enjoying the atmosphere of the big matches at Hyatt Regency. “It is great that we could watch the match from such close quarters,” says the woman International Master. “Yes, I was lucky that I could be on the medical team,” she adds.
Grandmaster (GM) M.R. Venkatesh too has been watching the matches from the beginning. “There is nothing like being at the venue of a world championship,” he says.
Vishnu Prasanna, who got his GM title recently, believes the game would become even bigger in the city after the world championship. “Everyone is talking about it now,” he says.
B. Adhiban, one of India’s finest young talents, appreciated the coverage of chess in newspapers. “It is very encouraging for us, chess players,” he says. “Though we could follow the game online, we all love to watch it at the venue; we may not get another such opportunity.”
J. Deepan Chakravarthy, who has come from Madurai, said he was a bit disappointed that both the games were drawn. “I was hoping for longer games,” he says.
Another GM, M. Shyam Sundar, said it was wonderful that the city was hosting the championship featuring the two legends, Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. “I plan to come for all the games of this world championship,” he says.
