VIJAYALAKSHMI SUBBARAMAN

India's first lady Grandmaster, Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman is also the best lady Chess player the country has produced.

Born on 27th March, 1979, Vijayalakshmi was drawn to the game of Chess by her father
A S Subbaraman, when she was but three and a half years young. Her father, who learnt the game to help her in her career, is still the guiding force behind Vijayalakshmi. Her sisters Meenakshi and Bhanupriya are also Chess players.

Vijayalakshmi won the first of her four National Women's championships at fifteen. The International Woman Master title came in 1996. She has won nearly all the Women's titles on the national circuit and has also notched several wins against Grandmasters, the most memorable being her victory over Russian Grandmaster Mikhail Kobalia, at the Anibal Open, Linares,1998. She has represented the country in over 30 international tournaments.

Known for the high-level of her game, Vijayalakshmi, has helped kindle interest in Women's chess in India. Her favourite Chess player is world champion - Gary Kasparov.

RAMANATHAN KRISHNAN

Two-time Wimbledon semifinalist and Junior Wimbledon champion Ramanathan Krishnan is a legend in Indian Tennis history. Born in 1937, Ramanathan Krishnan was passionate about Tennis even as a 10-year-old, when he played at the Kalkatora stadium in New Delhi.

Playing in his first tournament under the name of T R Kannan, he later changed his name to Ramanathan Krishnan on his arrival in Chennai. His father, T K Ramanathan, seeing his son's talent and passion for the game, resigned his job and took up full time coaching for his son.

Ramanathan Krishnan went on to become the National Champion, and won the Asian championship and the Wimbledon junior championship. He has enjoyed a career high of being ranked
World Number 3.

He reached the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1960. In the following year he was seeded number four, but lost this time to Rod Laver who went on to win the championship.

Ramanathan Krishnan played in the Indian Davis Cup team from 1953 to 1969 and has beaten players of world class like Neale Fraser, Rod Laver and Roy Emerson. One of his best matches in terms of effort and significance was the last reverse singles against the Brazilian Koch, which he won after he was a set down, to place India in the challenger round of Davis Cup (1966).

His number three world rank and his two Wimbledon semifinal appearances are still to be bettered by any other Indian Tennis player to date.

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