KOCHI, OCT 23: Fide World champion Alexander Khalifman is likely to play in a Super Grandmaster Tournament planned by the All India Chess Federation (AICF).Giving details of a plan which the AICF had been holding back for want of the right players to invite and good sponsorship, PT Ummer Koya, Fide vice-president and AICF secretary, said Khalifman was the fit candidate for tournaments where emerging Grandmasters could match wits with the established players.Now that the World champion was not a demi-God like a Karpov or a Kasparov, the World would get to see a lot of the new champion and play against him, he said.``I spoke to Khalifman, who readily agreed to come to India. I am also getting in touch with Vladimir Akopian (the new challenger),'' said Koya, who added Viswanathan Anand would also be invited for the tournament.He noted the Elo-Gods of chess like Kasparov seldom played against players below the 2,700-bracket. ``A champion should be a good advertisement for chess and he should play in asmany tournaments as possible,'' he said. Often, players like Kasparov, Anand and Kramnik played among themselves and this was not a good sign, he opined.Koya, who attended the Fide Congress in Doha this month, said Atanu Lahiri's case for IM title by virtue of his winning the Commonwealth championship in Bikaner would now be put up as the proposal for such an award was cleared in Doha.The AICF secretary explained that India had a rich haul of seven International Master titles awarded in the Doha Congress. ``All those who had fulfilled the conditions were passed,'' he said.Koya dispelled rumours that the Fide was facing a crisis with regard to sponsorship. "We are looking ahead for the third World Knockout Championship in 2000-2001.''He indicated that Asia might hold a World championship match (final) after a gap of 22 years if the bids by either Hong Kong or China found favour with Fide. The last time Asia hosted a title match (for men) was in 1978 when Karpov and Korchnoi clashed in thePhilippines in an exciting series.
