Norway Chess 2024: Carlsen, Caruana lead field; Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali among Indian representatives

World No. 1 and five-time World champion Magnus Carlsen of the host nation leads the field. The world No. 2 and 3, Fabiana Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, both of the United States, are also in the fray.

FILE PHOTO: World No. 1 and five-time World champion Magnus Carlsen of the host nation leads the field at the Norway Chess tournament. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Norway Chess tournament opens at Stavanger, Norway, on Monday. The event features some of the world’s strongest players in both the open and women’s sections.

World No. 1 and five-time World champion Magnus Carlsen of the host nation leads the field. The world No. 2 and 3, Fabiana Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, both of the United States, are also in the fray.

Reigning World champion Ding Liren of China is another major attraction. R. Praggnanandhaa, ranked 14th in the world, is the Indian representative.

His elder sister R. Vaishali is playing in the women’s event, along with fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy. World champion Ju Wenjun of China is the top seed.

The tournament, which carries equal prize money for the open and women’s sections, will conclude on June 7.

The pairings for first round:

Open: Magnus Carlsen (Nor) v Fabiano Caruana (USA); Hikaru Nakamura (USA) v Ding Liren (Chn); R. Praggnanandhaa v Alireza Firouzja (Fra). Women: Ju Wenjun (Chn) v Lei Tingjie (Chn); Koneru Humpy v Anna Muzychuk (Ukr); R. Vaishali v Pia Cramling (Swe).