Tata Steel Chess 2024: Top five players to look out for in Open section of India Rapid & Blitz tournament

Like previous editions, the tournament will have Open and Women categories in the same format. The rapid and blitz & will have equal prize money for both categories.

Indian grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa will come into the tournament after securing gold at the Chess Olympiad 2024 in Hungary.  | Photo Credit: PTI

The Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz 2024 will be held from November 13 to November 17 at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium in Alipore, Kolkata.

Like previous editions, the tournament will have Open and Women categories in the same format. The rapid and blitz & will have equal prize money for both categories.

The Indian chess contingent will also be in action after their excellent performance in the Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest, Hungary.

Take a look at the top five players in the Open section:

Magnus Carlsen

World number one Magnus Carlsen will be participating for the second time in the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz tournament, following his victorious run in 2019. He became the world’s top-ranked player in 2011. In 2013, he won the first of his five World Championships.

In 2014, he achieved the highest-ever chess rating of 2882, and he has remained the undisputed world number one for the last 13 years. He ceded his World Chess Championship title in 2023, allowing China’s Ding Liren to compete and take the top honours.

Arjun Erigaisi

Arjun Erigaisi is coming into the tournament as the latest and youngest Indian to enter the prestigious 2800-rating club. In just one year, he has gained nearly 90 rating points, winning several major Open tournaments.

He started with a victory at the Menorca Open in April and continued his streak with a dominant performance at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024, clinching the title with a round to spare. 

Additionally, he secured a second-place finish at the TePe Sigeman Chess Tournament and a joint-fifth spot at the Sharjah Masters Open. His incredible 10/11 performance on Board 3 earned him both individual and team gold for India at the Budapest Chess Olympiad. Capping it all off, he claimed the WR Chess Masters Cup 2024 in London.

Wesley So

Filipino-American Wesley So is a former chess prodigy who is the youngest player to pass the 2600 threshold, achieving it in 2008, breaking the record held by Carlsen.

In both 2015 and 2016, he tied for second place in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, entering the top 10 in the process. In 2016 he secured first place in the Grand Chess Tour by winning the Sinquefield Cup and the London Chess Classic. He represented the US in the 2016 Olympiad, winning team gold and individual gold on board three.

The following year, Wesley won the Tata Steel Masters tournament and became the eleventh player in history to surpass 2800 FIDE.

R. Praggnanandhaa

Indian grandmaster R. Praggnanandhaa will come into the tournament after securing gold at the Chess Olympiad 2024 in Hungary. Praggnanandhaa played a key role in this triumph, representing India on the second board, and delivered a solid score of 6/10.

 In 2023, he made history by becoming only the second Indian, after Viswanathan Anand, to reach the World Cup final.

Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Nodirbek Abdusattorov is an Uzbek grandmaster who won the 2021 World Rapid Championship. He played on the first board for team Uzbekistan which won the FIDE Chess Olympiad in 2022.

In March 2024, Abdusattorov won the Prague Masters with a round to spare and climbed all the way to fourth in the live rankings.