Chennai event becomes memorable for Fab Five

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So far five Indian players have used the ongoing world junior chess championship in the city to complete valuable norms.

At the end of the ninth round, Girish A. Koushik (Karnataka) and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (Maharashtra) have nailed grandmaster norms.

V.A.V. Rajesh (AP) and S.L. Narayanan (Kerala) have pocketed IM norms. In the girls' section, Chennai's P. Michelle Catherina has bagged a WIM norm.

Koushik,14, has been the most impressive Indian in the open competition here, as he has defeated four GMs in the first eight rounds.

Even though he lost the ninth round to slip from joint first position, a podium finish is still a possibility.

Koushik learned the game from his father Arun Kumar, who was a university-level player.

"My father's only goal in life is to see me win the world championship. I'm confident that I will fulfil his dream," Koushik said.

The Mysore boy wants to become a GM before he completes his class 10. Vidit's first GM norm was mired in controversy but the Nashik boy's achievement in Chennai is carved in stone.

Coached by GMs Abhijit Kunte and Evgeny Vladimirov of Kazakhstan, the baby-faced Vidit stays focused on the game. "I want to complete my GM title soon and reach 2600 elo rating," said the IM with an elo rating of 2492.

Vidit's record at age-group tournaments is resplendent. He has won the world U-14 title besides finishing second in the U-16 category.

The Maharashtra boy also owns four Asian silver medals. Vidit, who has won four national titles at various age groups, has finished within top six in the national premier chess in the last two years. Vidit is on ONGC's scholarship scheme.

Born to doctor parents, Vidit learned the ropes at a chess club in Nashik. His mother Nikita Gujrathi, a gynecologist, has taken a break from her career now to accompany Vidit to tournaments.

V.A.V. Rajesh will remember his Chennai feat for a long time as it is his third and final IM norm. "I have to improve my elo rating to apply for the title," Rajesh, a student of Loyola, said.

The Chennai-based Rajesh shot into prominence by winning the national U-9 title and the gold medal at the Asian U-10 championship in 2005.

Student of Indian Bank player V. Gopalakrishnan, Rajesh has set his sights on becoming a GM soon.

His first IM norm is the biggest achievement of Narayanan's fledgling career. "I haven't travelled outside India to play chess. My first foreign trip will be in 2012 when I will represent India at the world sub-junior championship," the 13-year-old said.

Narayanan took up chess after watching his mother S. Lyna play at a zonal event for LIC. The youngster, who is being coached by P. Sreekumar and IM Varghese Koshy, has set a target of three years to become a GM.

Michelle, the reigning national sub-junior champion, made her second WIM norm in her backyard.

"My next-door neighbour Raghavi was a chess player and my mother thought I could also play the game. But I didn't like chess in the beginning and felt relieved when my family moved to Bahrain for a year. I was happy attending keyboard classes and playing with my younger brother at home," Michelle said.

However. things changed when the family returned to India and Michelle began attending classes at Chess Gurukul, run by GM R.B. Ramesh and his wife WGM Aarthie Ramaswamy.

Today, the tenth standard student of Good Shepherd is one of the most promising young talent in the country. Michelle is a winner of a bronze medal at the Commonwealth U-14 category.

Michelle is keen to become a WIM by this year end. She is hoping to complete her third norm in the national premier event for women, scheduled to be held in Chennai later this year.

Incidentally, Michelle achieved her first norm also in the Tamil Nadu capital with a fine performance at the Chennai Open, 2011, where she accounted for GM Arun Prasad.

"Michelle will have the distinction of achieving all the WIM norms at one place if she completes her third in Chennai as per her plans," R.R. Vasudevan, media manager at the world junior championship, pointed out.