The Kazakh entry in the World junior in Kozhikode is the energetic 19-year-old Darmen Sadvakasov, an International Master (Elo 2440), who also has a GM norm. Going by the progress his compatriot Tkachiev made since his 1995 World junior in Kozhikode, it will not be a surprising if Darmen also becomes a Super Grandmaster soon. Tkachiev, an IM when he came here in 1995, touched 2,600 quickly and then shifted his base to France.

``Kazakhstan is a very strong nation in chess. We had about 13 Grandmasters but five of them went out and settled down in Israel, France and England,''says Darmen, who is studying in the Euroasian University in Kazakhstan.

``My ambition is to become an interpreter and study English,'' says the bespectacled Darmen, who speaks good English. He admitted the career of a chess professional is not bright in his country, though it is better than in Russia.

Darmen, who earned his maiden GM norm when he won the Asian Junior championship in Iran in 1995, had participated in the World Youth Team Championship in Argentina in 1997 and scored four points from games. ``We gave walkover in the first round as we came late but still finished second, one point behind Argentina. Which means we gave four points free,'' Darmen explained.

The Philippines had won the Asian championship in 1995 and Kazakhstan played a match with then in 1997 winning it by 10-5. ``That was how we qualified for the World Team championship,'' said Darmen.

Darmen learned chess at the age of four and took it seriously at seven. Football and boxing are very popular in Kazakhstan and chess is notpart of the curriculum in schools. ``Boxing gets good publicity because, our boxers are Olympic champions,'' reasons Darmen. ``A GM is not a big name is Kazakhstan but maybe, if you become world champion you get many privileges. But it is very difficult."