On a hot and humid day, GM elect Krishnan
Sasikiran gave a thirty board simultaneous display at the Indian Red Cross Society Hall,
Chennai on Thursday, March 9, 2000. This special tourney was organised as part of the felicitations to him by Canara Bank, Circle Office, Chennai.
Remaining calm right through, Sasikiran emerged a comfortable winner after a four-hour battle of the mind. On arrival Sasikiran
proved that he is a champion with a difference, by explaining his desire to take on his rivals with black pieces unlike the usual practice of playing with the white pieces.
Making his first moves after becoming a Grandmaster, Sasikiran played his uncompromising brand of chess to score over all his thirty
two opponents in the simultaneous display. It should be a record of
sorts that he won all the games with black pieces.
Replying to felicitations, Sasikiran felt youngsters should look into the classical games from the past masters. His tryst with destiny, reaching the pinnacle of Grandmaster title was achieved with relative ease. Sasikiran
takes on the board challenge, like a fish taking to water and has kept a hot trail in the Indian chess scene with successive Grandmaster Norm performances.
The powerful show of strength by Sasikiran came on a turnaround
Thursday. It happened to be the same day when Vishy Anand came back to his own in
the 
Linares 2000 edition defeating FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman in a French game and the Indian cricket
team ending their three-month misery with a spectacular win over the South Africans in the Cochin one-dayer. Noted players among the list of participants were, FIDE Rated junior P. Kumaresh, talented M. K. Narasimhan, Dr. N. Balaji, Sundaravadivelu, Nilavoli, Isaiamuthu and
Kushboo.
But it was another junior Vasanth who held fort right till the end. Vasanth fought hard and was the last player to lose to the second Grandmaster from Chennai after a battle lasting nearly four hours. Sasikiran, though made to sweat a little, left satisfied on his day in the office.
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