A momentous occasion for India

INTERVIEW/P. HARIKRISHNA & D. HARIKA

A momentous occasion for India

Pentyala Harikrishna and Dronavalli Harika do India proud by winning the titles in the Asian Championship in Iran recently. V. V. Subrahmanyam in conversation with the champions.

Pentyala Harikrishna had to skip his 25th birthday celebrations as they clashed with the final round of the Asian Chess Championship (in Masshad, Iran, May 1-10). “That morning, my focus was on keeping my hopes alive to qualify for the next World Cup (in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, August 26-September 21). Only after the Closing Ceremony was over, did I have an informal cake-cutting in the presence of my fellow Indian players,” he said.

This, in a way, reflects the intensity that Harikrishna displayed to win his first-ever Asian men’s title. And completing a ‘golden double’ for India was Dronavalli Harika, who the women’s singles title.

Eesha Karavade of India settled for the bronze medal in the women’s section.

According to Harikrishna, this was the biggest victory for him at this point of his career. “It has come after a long gap and, more importantly, in a very tough event in which 30 Grandmasters took part. The cream of Indian men’s chess, barring Viswanathan Anand, was there,” recalled the player from Hyderabad.

For the record, the Indian GM, Krishnan Sasikiran, was the second seed in the championship.

“Honestly, at the start of the event, I did not expect to win. All that I was hoping for was to qualify for the World Cup,” said Harikrishna, who remained unbeaten in the Asian Championship.

“By all means, it was a very tight finish as there was no guarantee who will finally qualify for the World Cup,” he added.

“Essentially, I was very relaxed even before the final round, for my focus was not on winning the title but on qualifying for the World Cup. This actually helped me stay focused and outwit Zhao Jun of China in the final round with black pieces to tie for the first place and eventually edge out Yu Yangyi of China in the tie-breaker,” Hari recalled.

“My opponent tried for a novelty in the opening which I could spot very early. Subsequently, his thought process was too long. This forced him to slip into time pressure which actually made things far easier (for me),” said the former World junior champion.

“The fact that I could win four games out of five with black pieces was a very satisfying experience even though it meant that I had to improve my winning record with the white too,” revealed Harikrishna, who was seeded fourth in the tournament.

“Considering that this Asian title is the biggest after the 2006 Doha Asian Games team event gold, it, naturally, provides a huge relief.

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