India’s Candidates windfall as Gukesh, Humpy make the cut

The Indian contingent constitutes over 30 per cent of participants in the upcoming Candidates Tournament in Canada.

D. Gukesh takes on Iran’s Parham Maghsoodloo in the third round on the third day of the Chennai Grand Masters Chess Championship at The Leela Palace hotel. | Photo Credit: M VEDHAN

In the final moments of the Candidates 2024 qualification window, chess players fiercely competed for the final two spots in the tournament, executing last-minute strategic moves. The Candidates offers the winner a chance to challenge the current world champion.

With Vidit Gujrathi and R. Praggnanandhaa already qualified, the race for the remaining spots included two more Indian youngsters, Arjun Erigaisi and D. Gukesh, along with Parham Maghsoodloo and Alireza Firouzja. Securing these spots required winning a high-rated tournament and boosting their FIDE circuit rating points.

Firouzja pursued rated events in France to enhance his chances, successfully accumulating the required points to surpass the USA’s Wesley So for a Candidates qualification through the rating spot. This mirrored the experience of the current world champion, China’s Ding Liren.

Initially denied entry due to COVID-19 challenges, Ding secured a spot just in time when the Chinese Chess Association organised 26 classical games within a month. This allowed him to meet the eligibility criteria for the highest-rated player position.

In this context, the Chennai Grand Master 2023, hosted at the Leela Palace from December 15 to 21, became a crucial battleground. But Firouzja’s approach and the Chennai Grand Masters sparked global discussions, not for the on-the-board games but for perceived concerns about timing and fairness. There were allegations that the scheduling was strategically designed to bolster certain players’ chances of qualifying for the Candidates.

The organisers in India defended their stance, highlighting the absence of any explicit FIDE rule preventing a tournament from taking place if it adhered to the chess body’s regulations. As the debate raged on, the chess world sought clarity, and it came from the five-time world champion and FIDE deputy president, Viswanathan Anand. Anand explained, “Within the rules, if you organise a tournament... you do this, and I’m very happy with this system. In fact, it produces more tournaments; that’s good. So I don’t see a problem with that at all, and I think it is one of the good things about the FIDE Circuit.”

August field: (L-R) Pavel Eljanov, Parham Maghsoodloo, Sanan Sjugirov, Alexandr Predke, Levon Aronian, Pentala Harikrishna, D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi at the inauguration function of Chennai Grand Masters Chess Championship 2023 in Chennai. | Photo Credit: Velankanni Raj

With an average rating of 2711, the Chennai Grand Masters was officially the strongest closed invitational tournament held in India, surpassing the previous record set at the AAI International Grandmasters Chess Tournament 2011, which had a rating of 2662.

The tournament’s early stages featured surprising twists, with both top seeds, Maghsoodloo and Erigaisi, stumbling in the inaugural round. Despite this, Erigaisi staged an impressive comeback, matching Gukesh’s points at 4.5/7 after seven rounds but losing on tiebreaks.

Gukesh emerged as the winner, earning $30,000 and a nearly assured spot in the Candidates after surpassing Dutch GM Anish Giri in the FIDE circuit leaderboards.

Giri needed a podium finish at the World Rapid & Blitz Championship 2023 to snatch the spot from Gukesh.

Over in Samarkand, chess maestro Magnus Carlsen asserted his dominance in the shorter time control games, clinching both the Rapid and Blitz titles, taking his overall tally to 17 major championships in a career spanning over two decades.

It was a double delight for Koneru Humpy, who secured a silver in the Rapid Championship while also qualifying for the Women’s Candidates through the rating spot. | Photo Credit: Velankanni Raj

Gukesh’s journey to Canada became certain after Giri’s admirable efforts could only land him in the top 30, way beyond a podium finish in both categories.

It was a double delight for Koneru Humpy, who secured a silver in the Rapid Championship while also qualifying for the Women’s Candidates through the rating spot.

The formidable Indian lineup, featuring Gukesh, Vidit, and Praggnanandhaa in the men’s section and R. Vaishali and Humpy in the women’s category, will make up over 30 per cent of the participants in the upcoming Candidates Tournament in Canada. This substantial representation highlights India’s increasing presence on the global chess scene, foreshadowing a legacy in the making as these players pursue success on the grand stage.