Saturday, July 14, 2007
A 13-year-old chess prodigy displays his mettle in Dubai
By K.R. Nayar, Staff ReporterPublished: July 14, 2007, 23:31 - Gulf News
Dubai: Srinath Narayanan, the 13-year-old boy who won the Dubai Junior Open chess title wants to emulate the legendary Viswanathan Anand.
"When I grow up I want to become the World's No 1 player like Anand," Narayanan told Gulf News after receiving the trophy.
"Dubai has been a lucky venue for me. I came here first in 2004 and won the under-10 title. In 2006, I won the under-12 title too and I am delighted to win the Dubai Junior Open title this time," said Narayanan, who went on to become the World Under-12 champion in 2005.
Narayanan hails from Tamil Nadu, which is also Anand's hometown. He takes tips from Anand whenever he meets him and also keeps in touch through e-mail.
"I was trained by Russian Grandmaster Maxim Sorokin, who died recently in an accident. He used to provide me valuable guidance. For the Dubai Junior Open championship I had to prepare on my own.
"Sorokin would have been delighted to hear about my victory had he been alive," added Narayanan, who has already won the Asian under- 10 event in 2004, Commonwealth under-10 title in 2004, World Youth under-12 gold medal in 2005 and even the Commonwealth under-14 title in 2006.
Did he expect to win the tournament this time? "Before the start I told myself that I will win the Dubai event this time. I knew I was in good form."
What does he consider as his greatest strength?
"My strong point is my tactics. I work hard every day to improve all aspects of my game," said Narayanan, who is sponsored by Sun Group Enterprises Private Limited from New Delhi.
"The support from Sun Group has helped me gain exposure. I am focused on becoming a Grand Master and the World No 1 player," added Narayanan, who studies in MCTM Chidambaram Chettiyar Higher Secondary School in Chennai.
"My strong point is my tactics. I work hard every day to improve all aspects of my game," said Narayanan, who is sponsored by Sun Group Enterprises Private Limited from New Delhi.
"The support from Sun Group has helped me gain exposure. I am focused on becoming a Grand Master and the World No 1 player," added Narayanan, who studies in MCTM Chidambaram Chettiyar Higher Secondary School in Chennai.
"My next tournament is the Dutch Open in Netherlands and then it's the Arctic Open at Norway. I want to win them too," he said.
