Hari is back with a bang

The prodigal son is back in the news. This time with a rare double achieved in the Biel International chess tournament in Switzerland on Saturday. Tipped for the world title ever since his sensational arrival as the world junior champion in 2004, the Guntur-native now settled in Hyderabad, Pentyala Harikrishna has been the wonder boy of the sport. Today, he ranks alongside Krishnan Sasikiran as the next big hope after the Lightning Kid.

At Biel, he not only pocketed the Masters titles but also topped in the rapid category showing admirable adaptability while taking on the 85-strong field. Fellow-Grandmasters from India, Surya Sekhar Ganguly and Sandipan Chanda finished way behind at 14 and 19 spots. Seeded second, Harikrishna with 8.5 points from 11 rounds also cemented his place as No 38 in the elite 2,700-club. It was early last year that Harikrishna crossed the magical 2700 Elo mark, which ranks as the ultimate achievement for a chess player apart from winning the world title.

Harikrishna said that although the world title was the dream, his immediate priority was to win as many titles as possible so as to consolidate his position in the top echelons. Humble to a fault, Harikrishna comes across as an erudite 27-year-old, who knows his strengths and weaknesses and is willing to admit the same. More importantly, he is willing to work on them with his coaches and seconds.

‘I agree that I have to sustain the winning touch. I have somehow noticed that at times I am too erratic. I have to cultivate the habit of finishing on top on a more consistent basis. This is more so because sometimes I am losing stream midway through and that too from comfortably placed positions,’ reasons Harikrishna, who has been employed with the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd in Hyderabad for the past three years.

Hopefully, Harikrishna will maintain the tempo as the season takes off with vigour.