D Gukesh, Magnus Carlsen Absent As Tata Steel Chess Set To Begin

World champion D Gukesh will be a notable absentee in a high-quality field that includes Viswanathan Anand, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and Vidit Gujrathi, as the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz Open tournament kicks off on Wednesday.

Last edition’s winner and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who claimed both the Rapid and Blitz titles, is also missing from the 10-player ‘Open’ field. Meanwhile, defending Rapid champion Aleksandra Goryachkina and last year’s Blitz winner Kateryna Lagno will be the star attractions in the women’s section of the tournament, which concludes on January 11.

Erigaisi is among the favourites in both the Rapid and Blitz sections, having recently secured bronze in both events at the World Championships in Doha. Teenage

Russian Grandmaster Volodar Murzin is also a strong contender, having won the World Rapid Championship title in New York in 2024.

Former five-time world champion Anand returns to the tournament after a six-year hiatus.

This year, Anand will face challenges from top-ranked players, including many young Indian players he has trained, who have made a significant impact on the international chess scene.

“I am really very excited to be back at Tata Steel Chess India as a player after a gap of six years. Within this period, the world of chess has changed massively with the emergence of talented players across the country, especially in India. I am really excited to accept the challenge from the young chess prodigy in this marquee tournament of India,” said Anand about the tournament, which offers a prize purse of USD 41,500 for both Open and Women categories.

Competing players:

Open section: Viswanathan Anand, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, Wesley So, Wei Yi, R Praggnanandhaa, Volodar Murzin, Hans Niemann, Vidit Gujrathi, Aravindh Chithambaram.

Women: Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, Divya Deshmukh, R Vaishali, Nana Dzagnidze, Dronavalli Harika, Carissa Yip, Stavroula Tsolakidou, Vantika Agrawal, Rakshitta Ravi.

(With agency inputs)