New Delhi: Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will be back in action in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament which begins in the Netherlands on Friday. After becoming the world chess champion in December, this will be the first time Gukesh would be participating in a chess tournament. The Indian ace would be facing a big test after he defeated Ding Liren of China to become the youngest world chess champion.
Gukesh withdrew from the World Rapid and Blitz tournament in New York last year as he wanted some time off after being crowned the world champ. Gukesh received applaud from the entire nation after his superlative triumph. His first match will be on Saturday as the pairings will be announced at the opening ceremony on Friday. The tournament will see as many as five Indians taking part in the event for the first time.
D Gukesh would be looking to bag a victory at the tournament as he had almost won the event back in 2024 before going down in the tiebreaker against Chinese opponent.
Arjun Erigaisi highest-rated Indian
Meanwhile, Arjun Erigaisi will start as the highest-rated Indian in the fray on the back of his superb performances in the last year. In 2024, he became the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to cross the 2800 ELO-rating mark. Arjun would be looking forward to making the most of the opportunities at the event.
The 14-player event, which will have 13 rounds, will also witness R Praggnanandhaa, who probably has the biggest fan base amongst the young players in the world. Another Indian, Vidit Gujrathi, withdrew from the event and organisers found a perfect replacement in form of P Harikrishna. The fifth Indian player in the queue is Leon Luke Mendonca.
Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh will be back in action in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament which begins in the Netherlands on Friday. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
