Indian Chess Titans Eye Candidates Spots as FIDE Grand Swiss Opens in Samarkand
Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, and Arjun Erigaisi spearhead India’s Grand Swiss campaign as Carlsen, Nakamura, and Caruana sit out.
The FIDE Grand Swiss kicks off with a bang as India’s chess titans take centre stage in a tournament that could reshape the road to the World Chess Championship. World No. 4 R. Praggnanandhaa faces American GM Jeffery Xiong, while reigning world champion D. Gukesh squares off against France’s Etienne Bacrot in a thrilling first round.
With a massive prize pool of USD 855,000, including USD 625,000 for the open section, 116 players in the open and 56 in the women’s category are battling for glory and two coveted spots in the next Candidates tournament. The absence of world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who’s stepped away from classical chess; No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, banking on his rating; and No. 3 Fabiano Caruana, already qualified, has paved the way for an Indian trifecta at the top: Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi (world No. 5), and Gukesh (world No. 6).
India’s dominance doesn’t stop there. Women’s World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh, opting out of the women’s section, takes on compatriot Abhimanyu Puranik in the open, showcasing her fearless ambition. Defending champion Vidit Gujrathi, alongside stalwarts like P. Harikrishna, Nihal Sarin, Pranav Venkatesh, and Leon Luke Mendonca, bolsters India’s 15-strong open section contingent.
Also Read: GST 1.5 Unveiled Cheaper Essentials, But GST 2.0 Still Missing, Says Ramesh
In the women’s section, D Harika leads the charge, joined by last edition’s winner, R Vaishali, and Vantika Agrawal. With Koneru Humpy absent after securing her Candidates spot, the Indian women are ready to shine.
This historic tournament, the strongest Swiss open ever, sees 15 Indian players in the open and three in the women’s section vying for supremacy over 11 gruelling rounds. Will India’s chess revolution seize the moment?
Round 1 Indian Pairings (Open):
- Jeffery Xiong (USA) vs R Praggnanandhaa
- Arjun Erigaisi vs Maksim Chigaev (ESP)
- Etienne Bacrot (FRA) vs D Gukesh
- Vidit Gujrathi vs Alexander Donchenko (GER)
- P Harikrishna vs Anton Demchenko (SLO)
- Nihal Sarin vs Rasmus Svane (GER)
- Aryan Chopra vs Parham Maghsoodloo (IR)
- Luke Leon Mendonca vs Andrey Esipenko (FID)
- Aydin Suleymanli (AZE) vs Murali Karthikeyan
- Radoslav Wojtaszek (POL) vs V Pranav
- Raunak Sadhwani vs Jules Moussard (FRA)
- S L Narayanan vs Alexander Grischuk (FID)
- Rauf Mamedov (AZE) vs Aditya Mittal
- Divya Deshmukh vs Abhimanyu Puranik
Women’s Section:
- Yulia Osmak (UKR) vs Vantika Agrawal
- Marcel Eforimski (ISR) vs D Harika
- R Vaishali vs Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (UZB)
Also Read: Stalin’s UK Visit Nets ₹1,100-Crore Deals for Tamil Nadu
