Heavyweight field with Anand the cynosure
Five-time former world champion opens against Wesley So in Tata Steel rapid and blitz that starts in Kolkata on Wednesday
Kolkata: “It was exhausting not playing,” said Viswanathan Anand explaining his return to competition in the Tata Steel Chess India, a tournament he has fronted as brand ambassador, after six years. “I do play a number of strong tournaments regularly, so, I thought, why not this,” he said.
Anand, 56, opens against Wesley So in the seventh edition that begins here on Wednesday. So is ranked 14th in the world, three slots below the five-time former classical format world champion from India.
So was third in the rapid competition in 2024 when the tournament was last held. It could not be accommodated in the 2025 calendar largely because of the World Cup in Goa (October 30-November 27, 2025). “From now, it will be in January,” said Jeet Banerjee, director Gameplan Sports Private Limited who own the tournament.
That the Wijk aan Zee classical format tournament will be held soon after this (from Jan 16) is a happy coincidence, he said.
It is a truth acknowledged in India that Anand, the blitz winner here in 2018, will be the cynosure of a chess event he is part of especially if it’s a clash of generations as this promises to be. That said, this 20-player event that runs till Jan 11 has a sprinkling of former and current world rapid and blitz champions in the open and women’s categories both of which will offer an equal prize purse of $41,500.
Across categories, there are six players who will be part of the Candidates in Cyprus in March: R Praggnanandhaa and Wei Yi, women’s world champion Divya Deshmukh, R Vaishali, women’s world rapid winner Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno. The last two named were also winners of the women’s rapid and blitz respectively here in 2024.
{{/usCountry}}Across categories, there are six players who will be part of the Candidates in Cyprus in March: R Praggnanandhaa and Wei Yi, women’s world champion Divya Deshmukh, R Vaishali, women’s world rapid winner Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno. The last two named were also winners of the women’s rapid and blitz respectively here in 2024.
{{/usCountry}}Also in the fray is Arjun Erigaisi bronze medallist in the world rapid and blitz Open championships last month. Erigaisi is fourth in the world in rapid and seventh in blitz and the only Indian in the top 10 in three formats. The 22-year-old is also only the fourth player in the world now in the top 10 in all formats.
{{/usCountry}}Also in the fray is Arjun Erigaisi bronze medallist in the world rapid and blitz Open championships last month. Erigaisi is fourth in the world in rapid and seventh in blitz and the only Indian in the top 10 in three formats. The 22-year-old is also only the fourth player in the world now in the top 10 in all formats.
{{/usCountry}}Yi is world No.3 in rapid and Volodar Murzin who, despite a continuing fight with the Russian federation, won the world rapid title in 2024. Praggnanandhaa, 20, is the defending champion at Wijk aan Zee.
{{/usCountry}}Yi is world No.3 in rapid and Volodar Murzin who, despite a continuing fight with the Russian federation, won the world rapid title in 2024. Praggnanandhaa, 20, is the defending champion at Wijk aan Zee.
{{/usCountry}}This will be the first time Hans Niemann, Magnus Carlsen’s bête noire but also the Speed Chess semi-finalist in 2024, is playing in India. Niemann will start against Murzin.
Played in the round robin format, rapid will be held in the first three days followed by the blitz. Carlsen, who won both competitions in 2024, is not here this time.
