The Tata Steel Chess India tournament is set to commence with a thrilling first-round matchup between Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa and world champion Magnus Carlsen in the rapid category. This year’s edition marks the sixth installment of the tournament, which will feature the Indian chess contingent that triumphed at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
In the previous edition, Maxime Vachier Lagrave emerged victorious in the rapid category, while Alexander Grishchuk claimed the blitz title. Divya Deshmukh and Ju Wenjun secured the rapid and blitz titles in the women’s category, respectively.
Praggnanandhaa expressed his admiration for Carlsen’s resilience and determination, stating, “His will to win is something that I really admire. He keeps playing even in positions that most people will agree for a draw, he just keeps playing and wins them.”
Carlsen, who is known for his selective tournament participation, revealed his motivation for attending the event: “A lot of the older players of my generation are not going to surprise you in a major way in terms of where they stand, but with the younger generation, it’s interesting to try and understand.”
Other notable participants in the tournament include Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Wesley So, Vincent Keymer, Daniil Dubov, Vidit Gujrathi, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Valentina Gunina, Koneru Humpy, Vaishali R, and Harika Dronavalli.
The tournament also witnessed the presence of three-year-old Anish Sarkar, who recently became the youngest FIDE-rated chess player in the world with a rating of 1555. Carlsen remarked, “It’s amazing to see the level he’s at. My nephew is turning 4, he’s a bright young child, but I don’t see him getting a rating of 1500 anytime soon.”
Carlsen acknowledged the significant progress made by Indian chess, attributing it to the efforts of Viswanathan Anand. He stated, “Indian chess has come a long way since then, much thanks to Anand and what he did for Indian chess.”
