Negi hopes to kickstart target ELO 2650 with Bundesliga stint

And though he has played across Europe in Belgian,Spanish and Greek leagues before,the club matches at this juncture will prove to be important for him. His goals for 2011 include taking a gap year from academics to concentrate completely on his game and making it to the elite 2650 bracket in FIDE ratings,and these games will be perfect preparation.

“Most of last year was spent dabbling between two things — playing a couple of tournaments in Europe and coming back home to study or give exams. But I want to give 2011 completely to chess after my examinations to see where my game stands. It is tournaments like these which can make a crucial difference to my ratings. Most elite events are closed or high-end tournaments,accessible only to players with a rating above 2650. Very few players are above the 2700 mark. I want to hit the 2650 mark soon to be able to make the cut for these events,” Negi,who currently has a 2607 rating,said.

Away for his week-long chess ‘break,’ Negi doesn’t want to be reminded about the impending examinations. Living with his coach Vladimir Chuchelov during his stay in Germany,Parimarjan was in two minds whether to take his course books along or not,but ultimately he did shove them in. “There is still some time for boards,and he has been committed to this club for a long time now,so he didn’t want to back out,” his father JBS Negi said.

And while some top Bundesliga clubs will be fighting it out in the upcoming week,being a soccer spectator would be the last thing on Negi’s mind on his flight to Germany.