‘Identify Each Player’s Weakness…’ – Rediff Sports

If a player is strong in defence then he/she should be given training in attack or vice versa.

Photograph: Kind courtesy Utroja0/Pixabay

With two dozen Indian players qualified to play in the FIDE World Cup 2025 in Goa from October 30, many are of the view that the All India Chess Federation (AICF) could have held a coaching camp for them much earlier.

Even now AICF could organise a camp, said a noted chess coach who has coached/trained about two dozen Grandmasters and International Masters. But there is no news from the AICF on this front.

It is said, some players are training with foreign coaches paying a huge sum, say about $1,000 per session, which the families of many other Indian players cannot afford.

Further nothing much can be gained from one session even if one was willing to shell out that sum.

“There is some time left. We have about three weeks and a training programme could be organised,” FIDE Master and FIDE Trainer K Visweswaran told this corresondent.

Visweswaran has coached/trained about two dozen GMs/IMs towards their various titles and championship success. India’s 89th and the latest GM S Rohith Krishna is his student.

“On any day I will confidently say Visweswaran is the best coach in the country. He has coached several GMs and IMs. It is sad that he hasn’t got the necessary recognition,” a former national player and a chess coach said.

Visweswaran is the son of India’s first International Arbiter and former national chess player, chess administrator and coach V Kameswaran.

Four players whom Visweswaran had trained at one point or the other in their careers — GMs Karthikeyan Murali, V Pranav, Pa Iniyan and IM G B Harshavardhan — will feature in the upcoming chess World Cup.

Expressing happiness at World Junior Champion Pranav getting the opportunity to play in the World Cup, Visweswaran said every World Junior Chess Champion deserves such an opportunity.

Born in 2006, Pranav became India’s 75th Grandmaster in 2022. In 2025 he won the World Junior U-20 Championship held in Montenegro.

Speaking about the short time available for coaching the Indian players for the World Cup Visweswaran said the training will be based on the specific needs of each player.

For instance, if a player is strong in defence then he/she should be given training in the attack or vice versa.

“Identify each player’s weakness/shortfall and provide them relevant training,” he added.

Asked about his training methods, Visweswaran said: “It is player centric, ambition oriented and situation specific.”

Visweswaran was the coach of the Indian team at the World Youth Chess Olympiad in 2007, 2008 and 2013 that won the Gold medal.

Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff