FIDE allots world Junior 2011 to India

By Arvind Aaron

India had been allotted the right to organise the World Junior Chess Championship and World Junior Girls Championship of 2011 and the venue will be Chennai, said Mr.D.V.Sundar, Hon.Secretary of the All India Chess Federation and Member Executive Board - FIDE, who attended the FIDE congress which was held in Halkidiki, Greece from 11- 18, Oct, 2009.

The last time a World Chess event took place in Chennai was in 1991 when Viswanathan Anand and Alexey Dreev of Russia played the Candidates Match here. India is doing well in Junior chess and our players Abhijeet Gupta and Dronavalli Harika are the World Junior and Girls champions. No country has won both titles at the same time in world chess.

Final GM Norm For Ashwin Jayaram

In another move, the All India Chess Federation protested and got the Grand Master norm of Ashwin Jayaram of Chennai through. He had won the Asian Junior in Sri Lanka and his norm was held back on technical grounds based on a recent ruling that one third (total 16) of the 48 Asian Nations should play. Eleven nations played and though it was high, it did not meet the new requirement of 16.

"Thanks for the good news," said Ashwin Jayaram who added, "now I have to work on the rating requirement of  2500." Ashwin Jayaram had made the first GM norm at Spain and the second in the Asian Junior held at Chennai in 2008. He completed the final norm earlier this year at Sri Lanka.

Anand v Topalov In Sofia From April 5, 2010

Among the other interesting decisions at the 80th FIDE Congress at Halkidiki in Greece, FIDE allotted the  Viswanathan Anand v Veselin Topalov match to Sofia and the likely dates are April 5-24, 2010 which will confirm after consulting both the concerned players. It will be a 12-game match and in case of a 6-6 tie, there will be a four game rapid playoff to decide the title. Other bids came from Singapore and Turkey. The letter from the Bulgarian  Prime Minister sealed the deal in favour of Sofia and the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov accepted it.

Titles Confirmed

Meanwhile, FIDE confirmed the titles of Grand Master for R.R. Laxman (Chennai), International Master title for Vidit Gujrathi (Nasik, Mah) and K. Priyadharshan (Madurai) and Woman International Master on Shalmali Gagare (Rahauri, near Shirdi, Mah). With Laxman's latest inclusion, India has 20 grandmasters.