India's best chance but US, Ukraine stand in the way

The men's team will have to contend with the all-round strength of Team USA while the women will have to make their 'top seed' status count.

By 3 pm on Friday, the two cavernous halls set up for the 44th edition of the Chess Olympiad at a plush hotel in Mahabalipuram will pack in around 1,500 players from more than 180 countries. Around 700 chess boards will be occupied across the two halls as the biggest Olympiad to date kicks off after a month of relentless promotion and publicity.

Final preparations at the playing area head of the 44th Chess Olympiad 2022, in Mahabalipuram(FIDE)

Right through the lead-up to this Olympiad, an air of optimism has swirled around India’s chances, and it’s now time for the players involved to show substance. Their Olympiad history doesn’t evoke much confidence – their only medal was a bronze in the open section in Norway in 2014 – but there is a firm belief that things can be different this time around.

For starters, India will field three teams each in the open and women’s categories. While the first Indian team in the women’s section is the top seed – Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli will be playing on the first two boards in a team that includes Tania Sachdev, R Vaishali and Bhakti Kulkarni – the top Indian team in the open section is seeded second. It includes P Harikrishna, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, SL Narayan and Sasikaran Krishnan.

There will be equal interest surrounding the second Indian team in the open section. World No 1 Magnus Carlsen has already called it the more dangerous team, considering it has three players in R Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh and Nihal Sarin destined to achieve big feats in chess.

While Indian teams in both categories are in medal contention, the United States are clear favourites for gold in the open section. Norway have Carlsen of course, but they don’t carry the collective might of the United States. In Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian and Wesley So, they have three players who are ranked fourth, fifth and sixth in the world respectively.

Leinier Dominguez Perez and Sam Shankland are no pushovers either. Perez won a silver medal in the 2016 Olympiad while representing Cuba.

Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan, who is the non-playing captain of the Indian A team, said that his players aren’t overawed by the pedigree of the US.

“I am sure we can challenge the US. They start as favourites, but in a one-on-one game, I think we can certainly match up to them,” Narayanan said on Thursday. “I can’t go into specifics, but at the end of the intense two-week training camp that we just had, the confidence of our players has increased. They all feel they are in good shape and are looking forward to the first round.”

Harikrishna, who won the Prague Chess Masters last month, is expected to lead his team’s challenge on the first board. While his experience of playing the Olympiad from 2000 onwards should prove invaluable, his teammates will also have to rise to the occasion.

“I think there are at least 15 teams which are really strong. There will be a couple of teams that are extremely solid. Therefore, it’s important that in order to perform well, all four players have to do very well. And we also need a little bit of luck,” the 36-year-old said.

He also sounded a warning to the Americans just in case they are taking the gold for granted. “Russia were seeded No 1 for many years but they last won the gold medal in the open section in 2002. Of course, they are strong and maybe big favourites. But it doesn’t guarantee anything.”

In the women’s section, Harika's progress should make for interesting viewing. She has chosen to compete in the event while being in the final trimester of her pregnancy. “Off the board, I have tried to keep myself in the best shape possible. Chess-wise, I have kept up my practice and played in some online chess events till last week to stay in touch. I am very happy with the team composition and I am sure that we will be aspiring to perform above our capacity,” she told the All India Chess Federation (AICF) recently.

The Ukrainians, seeded second in the women’s section, seem well placed to offer a stern challenge to Harika and company. Sisters Mariya Muzychuk and Anna Muzychuk, ranked fifth and eighth in the world respectively, have been in the upper echelons of women’s chess over the last decade. Mariya won the 2015 Women’s World Chess Championship while Anna finished runner-up in 2017. They won silver in the last Olympiad in 2018 (winners China are absent from this edition). Georgia, who are seeded third, won bronze.