Bengaluru: Indian Grandmaster RB Ramesh has been appointed as the head coach of the Italian men's chess team by the national chess federation, with a contract extending until the next Olympiad in 2026. As the mentor to R Praggnanandhaa, the 48-year-old recipient of the Dronacharya award will be responsible for developing and guiding Italian players, aiming to enhance the country's performance at the upcoming Olympiad scheduled for next year in Uzbekistan. In the previous Olympiad, Italy ranked 43rd in the Open section and currently lacks representation in the world’s top 100 players.

The recent success of Indian chess has garnered global attention, driven by a wave of young talent. Both the current world champion and the junior world champion hail from India, while the national open and women’s teams achieved a remarkable gold medal sweep at the last Olympiad, with three Indian players ranked in the top 10.

"Countries such as India, China, and Uzbekistan have a wealth of talented young players excelling in the sport. In contrast, European nations like Italy do not possess a similar depth of talent. Their leading players tend to be older, and the environment is not as supportive for young players as it is in India," Ramesh stated in an interview with HT. He previously coached the men's national team that secured a bronze medal at the 2014 Olympiad, marking India's first team medal in this event.

"The Italian federation is in the process of establishing a training facility, which is expected to be completed by September. Once the facility is operational, I will travel to Italy to conduct training sessions."

In 2022, the Romanian chess federation entered into a partnership with Ramesh to train players aged eight to 14 over a six-month period. This collaboration led to Romania winning two gold medals at the European Youth Championships in September 2023, the first such achievement in over twenty years. However, due to the current political instability in Romania, Ramesh's involvement with the federation is currently uncertain. "The country is experiencing a national crisis, so we are awaiting improvements. I hope that in a couple of months, the situation will stabilize, allowing me to resume my work."

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