Kramnik Challenge: Mendonca the lone Indian in reduced field of 16

Leon Mendonca is the lone Indian in the reduced field of 16 players in the $15,000 Kramnik Challenge online rapid chess tournament, the third leg of the Julius Baer Challengers Tour beginning on Thursday.

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The field, reduced from 20 players seen in the first two legs, is without the cream of the Indian talent - R. Praggnanandhaa and D. Gukesh, winners on the Tour so far, and Nihal Sarin. The four-day round-robin event will witness four rounds on each of the first three days, followed by three rounds on August 15.

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The team members:

Team Polgar: Vincent Keymer (Ger), Awonder Liang (USA), Polina Shuvalova (Rus), Volodar Murzin (Rus), Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iri), Marc Andria Maurizzi (Fra), Zhu Jiner (Chn) and Balaji Daggupati (USA).

Team Kramnik: Nodirbek  Abusattorov (Uzb), Jonas Bjerre (Den), Leon Mendonca (Ind), Lei Tingjie (Chn), Dinara Saduakassova (Kaz), Christopher Yoo (USA), Carissa Yip (USA) and Yahli Sokolovsky (Isr).