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Ready for the next move
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Lanka Ravi, Andhra's first international master in chess, in the mood to give back something to the State, writes V.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
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Lanka Ravi is raring to go — Photo: P.V.Sivakumar
FOR LONG, he was the dubbed the `King in waiting' of Indian chess. That is 39-year-old, Lanka Ravi for you. Ever since he became Andhra's first International Master in 1987, the odyssey in the chess world has been a mixed fare. Ravi always displayed his typical grit and determination and more importantly combining his brilliance on the 64 squares to outwit the opponents.Ravi nurses the ambition of becoming the Grandmaster, having achieved the first GM norm in April 2003 in the Asian team championship which also saw him win the gold on the third board. The championship also provided the rare instance of a nation winning a silver (India A) and a bronze (Ravi's India C). Apart from his achievements, his vast knowledge of the game once prompted Viswanathan Anand to entertain the idea of having Ravi as his personal playing partner . Ravi's achievements include the Asian Rapid champion in 1991, the Asian team bronze medallist in 1989 & 2003 and the 2001 National Rapid champion to name a few. He was India No.3 after Viswanathan Anand and D.V.Prasad in 1986 Mumbai National `A' and again No.2 in 1989 and 1992. He was a regular member of the Indian team with the odd break. Currently he is ranked No.10 despite not being as active as him would like to be. With an ELO rating of 2457, Ravi is doubly keen to write a new script in his career by participating in the Delhi Grandmasters tournament and the Jamshedpur Tata Open GM event next month.
One of the most important reasons for Ravi not achieving much is that lack of opportunities. The fact that he didn't have access even to Internet till 1999 is an eye-opener. Yet, Lanka Ravi is in no mood to dwell in the past . He wishes to make one big and lasting impression in the coming days. All he is looking for is some closed and higher category tournaments where he can match his wits with the best brains and in the process pick up those two vital GM norms to earn the much-elusive GM title. Like Mitrakanth, Murugan, D.V.Prasad, Raja Ravisekhar he suffered for want of support. Neither the Central Government nor the employers in those days were willing to spend beyond their limitations, however talented the players were. Coming to his future plans, Ravi, whose skills in middle-game make him the player that he is, feels strongly that age is no bar for a chess player. And, he is keen to prove with a couple of impressive performances in the coming months. Interestingly, he is modest enough to confess that his weakness can be that he loves to play the same Openings like the French Defence, Carokann and the d4. This, he insists, is also his strength . But, he avers the idea that his style of game and preparations are outdated in the modern world. "The basics remain the same and it is the ability of any player to improvise and come up with novelty in a given situation that separate the ordinary from the rest of the crowd,'' is his argument.
The comments of England's widely acknowledged Candidates Master GM Speelman are worth recalling here. "Had Ravi analysed his win over Russian Dolmatov (in one of the Goodricke tournaments) in the Slugfest game, the readers would have had more information.'' A compliment which lights Ravi's face in delight even now. "I am grateful to the English gentleman for his kind words,'' he says gratefully. Unfortunately, a tribute which is hard to digest for most of his contemporaries and adversaries too. One wonders where Ravi would have been if only he had been a regular on the European circuit. That he spent a month on a single trip to Europe in all in his career on this very competitive schedule should reflect the sad state of affairs and how fate invariably played truant with him.
What does he feel about chess in Andhra? "It would be an understatement to point out that the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's profound interest and the way he is showering all those incentives is largely responsible in the virtual chess wave that is prevalent in the State. And, if this support continues, I am sure Andhra will continue to produce many more champions,'' he explains.
Quite importantly, Ravi, who for long worked in Tamil Nadu, has come back to his hometown, Hyderabad, by virtue of his transfer as Officer In-Charge of ONGC (Hyderabad). An opportunity which should serve as a window to the genuine chess lovers to encash his rich experience and try to improve the game. And for his part, Ravi is in the mood to give back something to the State, though the authorities here were never really appreciative of his efforts over the years and even branded him as non-Andhra player when it suited them. His favourite is Gary Kasparov for the simple reason the champion player loves to take on the best in his flamboyant style and the stunning ability to produce some breathtaking moves from seemingly impossible situations. Only time will tell whether Ravi would get the recognition he badly deserves or will it be another "quiet reception'' akin to the one he got when he won the silver medal in the Asian championship in 1987 in Doha which also saw him pick the IM title. By all means, Lanka Ravi is keen to have the last laugh.
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