Please accept my hearty congratulations for the young Indian team that clinched the Bronze medal, after tying for the second place, in the World Team Chess Championship 2009 held at Bursa, Turkey from 3-13 Jan, 2010. The result is historic and should go as a truly shining star in the annals of Indian chess.

Led by the experienced Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran who playing in the top board scored 5.5/9 and along with Ganguly's 5/7 in the third board, held the Indian team with their splendid performance. The duo with their rating performances of 2753 & 2804 were suitably supported by Harikrishna 4/8, G N Gopal 3/5, Arun Prasad 2.5/5 & Adhiban 1/2.
 

Sasi's performance was par excellence, notably his wins against top ten duo Levon Aronian and Vugar Gashimov. Undefeated Ganguly, quietly gathering the vital points proved an able foil for Sasi and together they enacted a dream script.

High credit to the federation, for getting the team cleared in the eleventh hour and the vision of bringing Grandmaster Lev Psakhis in equally short notice, as both the actions bore fruit.

Crucial wins in the final three rounds, saw the Indian flag flying high on the final day. First it was Gopal's win against Egypt, when the top three boards ended in draws, followed by Ganguly's crucial victory against GM Postny of Israel, and coupled with these two came the final round rout of Brazil 3.5-0.5, a result that confirmed our Bronze medal.

Bronze in the World Teams, which followed the Gold in Calcutta Asian Teams, make it a truly memorable beginning for the Indian chess in 2010.

with best wishes

R R Vasudevan
9840251675

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