He is in love with the game of kings and queens. Ganesh Rajavelu is the game's silent and smooth operator.
The Class X student of Carmel Garden MHSS did make everybody look up by participating in the Aeroflot International Open Chess Tournament in Moscow, Russia, recently.
Forty-five players made the cut from across the country for this prestigious tournament. And, Ganesh turned out to be the city's sole representative.
He played nine rounds in all and secured three wins and two draws.
That well signals the sign of good times for this ambitious young man. “I could have done well if not for a bundle of blunders between the middle and the end games,” said the 15-year-old.
“I tried quite a few openings. One among them is the Catalan. It worked well and I was able to beat the home team in the seventh round,” he added.
Ganesh started playing when he was seven. “I got attracted to the game while watching my neighbours' play. It generated a lot of interest and from there I picked up and slowly climbed up the ladder,” said Ganesh, who bagged the ‘Best Sportsman (chess) Award' from the Coimbatore wing of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu for his sparkling show in the under-17 category in the 57th SGFI Nationals in Jabalpur in September last year.
Of course, his grandmother (Jaya Thiruvenkatasamy) and uncle (Sathish) played the ‘Good Samaritan' roles in his steady climb to the top. “They guided him and helped both financially and mentally in every way,” said Anusha Nandhini, Ganesh's mother.
“And every time he did well in tournaments, his father [Rajavelu] surprised him with gifts. That turned out to be a great morale booster for him,” she added.
If Ganesh is making silent waves, it is mainly because of the efforts of V. Vijayaraghavan (International Arbiter).
He has sharpened his skills in many ways.
“He is a very strong player, solid in defence. He has not been playing his best mainly because he wants to do well in his board exams. He is a very hard worker, quite obedient and has good observing skills. Obviously, it makes our work that much easier,” said Mr. Vijayaraghavan.
Passion
“He has got a huge passion for the game. It is just that he needs to convert his strengths into winning positions. He has got a very bright future. We are proud of his participation in the Russian event, which is said to be among the world's strongest event,” he added. Ganesh's immediate aim is to become an International Master. “My target is two years. I am working hard on that and am confident of reaching it too.”
