India will field the strongest-ever team in the chess Olympiad this September, says GM P. Harikrishna.
The former world junior champion says the presence of three Indians with an Elo rating of 2700-plus should make the team a formidable combination.
“We have a one-week camp in Delhi from March 16 before the players disperse for their respective tournaments. It should help us understand each other better,” said Hari in an exclusive interview with The Hindu on Tuesday.
“We will work on some innovative openings and endings and definitely try out some blitz games too,” he said.
“We have improved over the years in the big league, beat some of the top players consistently.
Unpredictable
“But it is the unpredictability of any Olympiad which makes it all the more challenging,” added the 31-year-old.
“A lot depends on the kind of pairings we get, especially in the final rounds,” he said hoping that the Indian team — comprising Viswanathan Anand, Vidit Gujarathi, K. Sasikiran, Harikrishna and two others who might make it depending on rankings — would be seeded either fourth or fifth.
Hari said, “one bad loss nullifies all the good work you do right through the event. So, I am essentially trying to be more consistent right through.”