Viswanathan Anand to lead strong Indian team in online Chess Olympiad

New Delhi: Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand will lead India in the second online chess Olympiad, scheduled from September 8-15. The Indian team had shared the title with Russia in the last edition and will look to emerge sole winner this time. The team comprises Anand, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Nihal Sarin, R Pragganandhaa, Koneru Humpy, D Harika, Tania Sachdev, Bhakti Kulkarni, R Vaishali and B Savitha Shri. Former national champion and British Chess Championship winner Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte has been appointed as non-playing vice captain of the team. All the players will be based in Chennai from where all the matches will be played. In the first leg, ten teams will compete and two will qualify and thereafter a knockout format has been decided by FIDE, the apex chess body. “To bring the team together in one place is a dream come true in present times. We do not put any pressure. Our aim is to have a healthy atmosphere where the team get along well,” said AICF President Sanjay Kapoor. “This is only the beginning of many more good things to come for Indian chess. We are working in several departments to bring the benefits of the game and our aim is simple to make India the number one chess playing nation in the world,” added Bharat Singh Chauhan, AICF secretary of the federation. The team will be sponsored by internet provider Microsense.