An Attacking Approach - By Thomas S

Anurag Mhamal is the latest chess sensation of Goa, having won the state championship in 2007. A young lad of barely 12 years, he had achieved much in chess at this young age

Having had an attacking approach to the game right from an early age, he has gained many admirers especially at the National level.

It all started when he was barely six-years-old. After watching a chess championship the young Anurag Mahamal found himself drawn towards the game. His father, a chess player himself, gave him all the encouragement and support needed to enhance his game. Anurag then went on to play in an under-7 tournament and won a medal at the first attempt. He has taken part in tournaments in almost all the age groups in Goa till date, invariably coming first or second. But it is at the nationals that he has made his mark. In the under-8 tournament held at Sangli he won the second place in 2003 and the first place in 2005. His best at the National level however remains the tenth position, which he achieved at Chennai last year.

His rise has been phenomenal this year as he has gained a number of ELO points – his points have touched 2035. He finished in a commendable 19th position at the Rochess Rating Championship at Mumbai having drawn with International Master (IM) A B Vaidya, ex-National ‘B’ Champion, and with WIM Anupama Gokhale, ex-National women’s champion. In the same tournament comprising of over 200 players he went on to beat the under-25 champion, Arjun Tiwari. The other rating tournaments in which he featured this year included the Suraj International Rating at Sangli where he defeated IM Ravi Hegde , the ex-National ‘B’ champion, and the Babukaka Rating tournament at Sangli where he came 17th in a highly competitive field.

When quizzed as to how much time he devotes to chess he replied that he spends no less than five to six hours a day practicing on the computer

Anurag’s initial coaching was done by V Sivaswamy but later he trained under the watchful eye of IM Ravi Shekhar from Bangalore. But it was only this year when he trained under Akash Thakur that he learnt in full earnest how to use and analyse the computer.

Yet for any guidance his father Arvind Mhamal is always there to lend a helping hand.

‘Anurag has all the potential for becoming a big player in India, but for that he has to be very consistent. At times he beats much fancied players only to loose against lower ranked players later on,’ says Anurag. But it is the drive and enthusiasm for the game that keeps him going and he has led his school, Peoples High School to a runner-up position in the inter-school championships.

Of late Anurag has been concentrating at all National and International Open tournaments, and hence is not much heard of at the State level tournaments.

Yet like any other young boy of his age, he loves playing table tennis and is a voracious reader.

From The Navhind Times

Category: Articles , Chess