GM Geetha Gopal of India
(ELO 2548 – born 29.03.1989)
The youngest and most exotic GM of this tournament, 19 year old Geetha Gopal for sure will be a favourite among the photographers and onlookers. The most exciting (male) player from India since Anand, Gopal is a remarkable talent likely to be found above 2700 within a few years.
Achieving his GM title aged 18 he seemed likely to cross 2600 directly following several strong results this spring – including second place with 6.0/9 in the closed A-group of Gausdal Classics 2008. Gopal’s results for the summer and early autumn were more solid than outstanding, but scoring a solid 5.5/10 in the Olympics he now seems to be advancing again. Geetha Gopal is a candidate for top three already, and for the future he might well be the most interesting player of this field.
Text: Hans Olav Lahlum