Panaji: Goa’s Woman Grandmaster Bhakti Kulkarni has been named in the Indian Chess Team for the forthcoming Chess Olympiad to be held in Chennai from July 28 to August 10, and in which more than 150 countries are expected to participate.

Bhakti has been invited by the All India Chess Federation for a special training camp organised under former World Championship Challenger Grand Master Boris Gelfand in Chennai.

She will team up with GM Koneru Humpy, GM Dronavali Harika, IM R.Vaishali and IM Tania Sachdev.

“I am thrilled. It’s a huge honour and another opportunity for me to win a medal for our country,” said Bhakti.

Though Bhakti had been a member of medal winning Olympiad teams for the last two years, the Olympiads were played online then due to the corona pandemic.

Bhakti had been a member of all the team championships she participated in for the last two years.

Many former world champions will be seen in action in this Olympiad except five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand who has perhaps for the first time in his illustrious career decided not to participate in the mega event. But the Indian chess great has agreed to serve as a mentor for the Indian teams.

Goa Chess Association has expressed its happiness over Bhakti’s selection and wished her all the best for the Olympiad.