India will emerge a super power in chess said Israeli Grandmaster Alon Greenfeld, a noted chess trainer, here on Tuesday.
India can catch up with Russia in strength but it will take a long time to catch up in the number of players.
The GM, who is on a 10-day visit, is a professional chess trainer and was here at the invitation of Chess Gurukul Academy run by GM R.B. Ramesh and K. Visweswaran.
U.S.-born Greenfeld is the first major non-Soviet trainer in India, said Visweswaran. Present-day Indian players take longer than necessary to calculate their moves and he has helped them fine-tune the thinking process, said Visweswaran.
Bright pupils
Four of India's age-group world chess titles holders have been trained by Greenfeld.
“Vidit Gujrati (Nasik) is brilliant, Adhiban (Chennai) has special skills, Ivana Furtado (Goa) is still very young, while Soumya Swaminathan (Pune) has had very few sessions with me so far,” observed Greenfeld.
“Your players are very dedicated, serious about the game and show tremendous motivation,” said 45-year-old Greenfeld.
Greenfeld plays just two to three tournaments a year but coaches players in Israel, India and other nations. His coaching started with online lessons for Vidit until he started to visit India. Vidit's rating soon shot up.
“I do not know how much of a part I had in that,” said Greenfeld.
Coming to the hot topic, Greenfeld said, “of course I want Vishy (Viswanathan Anand) to win (the World title match in Sofia) but today's game will be crucial.
“Topalov is tough and dangerous. He has not shown much with white and if he (Topalov) has to show it, it is now,” said Greenfeld.
Asked about India's chances in the Chess Olympiad this year he said India won a medal in the World Team championship earlier this year but the Olympiad was a stronger and different format tournament.
“Of course, India is progressing and will surely win a medal but in the next three to four Olympiads,” said Greenfeld.
