The first-round draws for the sixth Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz tournament were announced in Kolkata on Tuesday. All eyes will be on Magnus Carlsen, the former world champion, who will be facing 19-year-old Indian grandmaster R. Pragganandhaa in both the Rapid and Blitz formats.
This year’s tournament, with a prize fund of USD 41,500, will be held at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata’s Alipore between November 13 and 17. Like previous editions, the tournament will have two categories, Open and Women, in two formats, Rapid and Blitz.
After a stellar performance at the 2024 Chess Olympiad 2024 Budapest in Hungary, the Indian chess contingent is all set to compete in the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz tournament.
In the Open category, alongside Praggnanandhaa, India's S.L. Narayanan will go up against Germany’s Vincent Keymer, while Vidit Gujrathi will face the USA’s Wesley So. Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin are scheduled to play each other in an exciting matchup.
In the Women's category, India’s Harika Dronavalli will take on England’s Nana Dzagnidze, while Vantika Agrawal plays Russia’s Valentina Gunina. Koneru Humpy will face Russia’s Kateryna Lagno.
A three-year-old chess prodigy from Kolkata named Anish Sarkar was involved in the draw. He picked up the names of Carlsen and Pragganandhaa and pitted them against each other. The wonder kid got praise from the involved chess stars.
During draw of Men and Women participants of 6th Tata steel chess tournament in Kolkata | Salil Bera
Meanwhile, Carlsen, five times world champion, is making a comeback to the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz after winning the edition in 2019.
In the Open category, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave claimed victory in the Rapid section, while Alexander Grischuk won the Blitz. In the Women’s category, Divya Deshmukh emerged as the Rapid winner, with Ju Wenjun taking the title in the Blitz format.
Vishwanathan Anand will continue his association with the competition as its ambassador. He said, “This year brings the best of the world headed by Magnus Carlsen. I am particularly excited that the women’s event will have the best of Indian Chess. This year has been a celebration of Indian chess and this event will be a fitting tribute.”
