'Hikaru rates Arjun highly, would have been perfect fit,' American Gambits Head Coach Srinath and co-owner Prachura PP reflect on GCL Season 3 Draft

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 29 (ANI): Following an eventful outing at the Global Chess League (GCL) season 3 draft in Mumbai, American Gambits Head Coach Grand Master Srinath Narayanan and co-owner Prachura PP shared insights on their draft strategy, highlighting their pursuit of GM Arjun Erigaisi and the X-factor prodigy, Volodar Murzin, ahead of the new season, scheduled to take place in India later this year.

Having retained Icon player Hikaru Nakamura and superstar women's player Bibisara Assaubayeva, American Gambits made key acquisitions at the draft, adding superstar men's player Richard Rapport and Vladislav Artemiev, women's player Teodora Injac, and prodigy Volodar Murzin to their squad, as per a press release from American Gambits.

The team faced a fierce bidding war with the Alaskan Knights for world number four Arjun Erigaisi, but narrowly missed out on securing his services. Reflecting on the auction, Prachura said, "I have a personal connection with Arjun. Hikaru rates him very highly, and we felt he would have been a perfect fit alongside him. I even went beyond the 250-point cap we set for ourselves just to bid for him, crossing 300 points. Still, with PBG holding 1,000 points compared to our 800, we simply could not outbid them."

Srinath added, "Arjun was one of our top preferences. Having him alongside Hikaru, our top American player, would have been a powerful combination. However, we had to balance this with the need to save points for later stages of the draft. In an auction like this, you can't simply handpick the players you want--every team is building their squad at the same time."

American Gambits stole the spotlight in the Prodigy category with the acquisition of Volodar Murzin, the current World Rapid Chess Champion. The team's think tank rates him highly, seeing him as the X-factor for the season.

"He is not just a prodigy; he's already performing consistently at the 2650 level and shows remarkable maturity and reliability for his age. It's safe to say he's the strongest junior in the world today," said Srinath.

Echoing this, Prachura said, "Volodar is the strongest prodigy and the current World Open Rapid Champion. We expect him to deliver critical wins for us, as the prodigy board can be a real differential in this format, and we believe we have the best player there."

The Chess Olympiad-winning coach also spoke about the unique challenges of coaching in a league format: "In a league, flexibility is key. Unlike established events like the Olympiad, where everything is pre-set, here things change constantly. Different time controls and dynamic situations test your ability to think on your feet. The more challenging it is, the greater the opportunity to stand out."

Discussing the team's goals for the season, Prachura stated, "Our primary goal is to win the trophy. Second, we want our players to perform to their full potential so we can retain them, rather than constantly reshuffling the squad. Third, we aim to strengthen our brand and show that the American Gambits are here to win, backed by celebrity co-owner Ravichandran Ashwin and chess legend Hikaru Nakamura."

American Gambits Squad

Hikaru Nakamura, Richard Rapport, Vladislav Artemiev, Bibisara Assaubayeva, Teodora Injac, Volodar Murzin. (ANI)

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