India, the bronze medalist in the last edition, will be eyeing their first standalone gold medal in the 45th Chess Olympiad, which starts in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Wednesday. The Indian team did win a joint gold medal with Russia in the 2020 edition – played in a different – of the tournament, which took place online, but this time around, they would not want to share it.
The second-seeded Indian team, comprising Vidit Gujrathi, R Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaise, and P Harikrishna, has all the ingredients to better their last outing, when they won the Bronze. But like the last time, they will once again be without the legendary Viswanathan Anand.
The five-time world champion, who is widely credited for revolutionising chess in India, has decided not to play the world’s biggest chess event for the second time running. The current World No. 11, instead, will make a rare competitive appearance at the Tech-Mahnindra Global Chess League next month in London where he will be part of the Ganges Grandmasters team.
Semi-retired from the game, Anand said he is looking forward to his GCL stint next month where some top international players such as Magnus Carlsen will also be competing.
Apart from this, Anand said he also hopes to compete in Leon Masters in Spain next year after winning it for a 10th time earlier this year.
“I will play a few events next year. I don’t know yet what they are, I hope to play in Spain again. Semi-retired sort of means that I am slowly transitioning out instead of quitting one day, I am pacing myself, “ said the icon who finds his administrative role “fascinating.”
Even in the absence of Anand, the Indian team lacks on firepower. World number four Arjun Erigaise has been consistently rising up the ranks waiting for his big break like Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa while Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi provide the much needed stability as the senior players.
The Chinese have fielded a full-strength team in the open section that includes reigning World Champion Ding Liren on the top board. The Chinese start as the third seed.
The format will be 11 rounds in both open and women’s section and the winning teams will get two match points for every victory scored. The game points will come in to effect if there is a tiebreaker at the end of the event.
While the final participation tally will be issued once all the teams have arrived, 191 teams in the open and 180 in the women’s section are expected to compete.
Indian women’s team gets top seed
The Indian women’s chess team, led by D Harika and R Vaishali, is a strong contender for the podium at the 45th Chess Olympiad. Koneru Humpy’s absence has not significantly impacted the team’s chances, thanks to Vaishali’s recent surge in rankings. The women’s team boasts a mix of youth and experience, with Harika, Vaishali, Divya Deshmukh, and Vantika Agarwal forming the core, and Tania Sachdev as the reserve player.
The absence of top Chinese players, Russia’s suspension, and Ukraine’s weakened team have cleared the path for India’s women’s team, seeded first, followed closely by Georgia. In the open section, the US team, led by Fabiano Caruana, is the top favorite, despite missing Hikaru Nakamura. The men’s team, led by D Gukesh, also has a good chance of performing well.
