Viswanathan Anand opts out of Olympiad, Humpy in

PUNE: Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand won't be a part of India's team for the chess Olympiad in Turkey, scheduled from August 27 to December 10. However, grandmaster K Humpy comes back after not being part of the last edition in 2010.
The website of the biennial chess event states Indian teams as K Sasikiran, P Harikrishna, G N Gopal, Parimarjan Negi and Abhijeet Gupta (Open section) and K Humpy, D Harika, Tania Sachdev, Eesha Karavade and Mary Ann Gomes (women's team).
World No. 5 Anand (Elo 2780) is not the only top name missing from the team. His second and six-time National champion Surya Shekhar Ganguly (2627) and former Olympian Sandipan Chanda (2618) haven't made the grade for not playing the National Premier championship in Aurangabad last year.
Only those men players above Elo 2650 (and grandmasters in women's section) and National champions walked into the team. Others were picked on rating strength provided they played the National Premier.
India could have had medal hopes if Anand, Ganguly and Chanda had played. Without them, a medal is nigh impossible, barring a miracle.
Anand, Fide vice-president D V Sundar, AICF treasurer Ravindra Dongre and AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chouhan could not be reached for comment on Anand's absence.