Need more tournaments like Tata Steel: Ramesh

The Tata Steel chess, into its third edition now, is the only world-class tournament India hosts in mindsport. For a country that boasts two World champions and some of the most exciting young talents

The Tata Steel chess, into its third edition now, is the only world-class tournament India hosts in mindsport. For a country that boasts two World champions and some of the most exciting young talents in the game, that is too few.

Grandmaster R.B. Ramesh, one of the most successful coaches in Indian chess, believes there should be more quality tournaments. “If we want to see our young players progress to the top, they should be given all the support. They need to play in strong tournaments like this on a regular basis,” he told The Hindu here on Thursday. “Look at the way Arjun Erigaisi has grabbed the opportunity here.”

Ramesh said some of the young Indians, including his pupil R. Praggnanandhaa, are playing in strong fields abroad, but should be able to do that at home too.