Incumbent World Champion D Gukesh pulled out of the Tata Steel Chess Indian Rapid and Blitz event, citing personal reasons, the organisers of the tournament confirmed on Sunday.
Compatriot Nihal Sarin has been named as Gukesh’s replacement for the event that is slated to be held in Kolkata from the 7th of January to the 11th of the month.
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Tata Steel Indian Tournament Director, Dibyendu Barua, said, “This is definitely a big setback for the organisers and for the chess fans in Kolkata. All the chess lovers were eagerly waiting to watch Gukesh play in their city as a world champion for the first time.”
“Kolkata is known for its sporting culture, and
people here are very enthusiastic about sports. At the same time, there is another tournament scheduled to be held, the Tata Chess Festival, a three-age-group event,” Barua continued.
“Most players were going to participate in this event just to see Gukesh, Viswanathan Anand, and Arjun play together in the tournament,” he added.
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Gukesh, who had to endure a trying season in the year 2025 – the year after he clinched the World Championship crown, will look for a turn of fortunes in 2026.
Gukesh had a testing campaign as he had to endure the turbulence of the chess world as he faced early exits at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, FIDE Grand Swiss and the FIDE World Cup on home soil.
However, every dark cloud has a silver lining, and his win against the top-ranked Magnus Carlsen, which left the Norwegian star infuriated enough to bang the desk before exiting the venue. Gukesh also bagged the individual gold while helping his side to the summit of the European Club Cup.
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