Mumbai: Vidit Gujrathi summed up the unique amalgamation that is chess and the coastline of Goa. On his packing list, as he told FIDE, will be sunglasses, swimwear and, (but of course) a laptop.
Goa and its beaches are brimming with tourists at this time of the year and over the next month, it will host another large flock – for anything but a holiday.
From Saturday, in a five-star property minutes away from its most popular Baga beach, the FIDE World Cup will kick off with the first round. The tournament features 206 chess players from over 80 countries, with the host nation accounting for a little over one-tenth of that.
The last time India hosted a Chess World Cup, Viswanathan Anand was among the four Indians in a 24-player event played in a league-cum-knockout format. Anand went all the way in 2002 in Hyderabad.
In Goa, where this World Cup’s trophy was named after the Indian legend on Friday, there will be a flock of 24 Indians in an eight-round knockout system. It not only reflects the shift of formats in the sport, but also the growth of chess in the country.
“India has excellent representation at all levels,” said GM Srinath Narayanan.
In a tournament that offers three spots for next year’s Candidates, the top three seeds are Indians – world champion Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa.
“The three at the top have very high chances of making it all the way; certainly of going towards the semis,” said Srinath.
Gukesh will make a dash to get to Goa from St. Louis, USA where he featured in the Clutch Chess exhibition event from October 27 to 29 and finished last battling with Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. It’s been that kind of a year for the young star, eager to regain some spark before gearing up to defend his World Championship crown next year.
Arjun and Praggnanandhaa, on the other hand, will be eager to get to the tournament that will give them a chance to fight Gukesh for the world title. That’s where this World Cup and its three Candidates spots assumes importance. More so for the former, as Praggnanandhaa, with some good results this year, currently sits atop the FIDE Circuit leaderboard that reserves one spot.
For Arjun, therefore, the goal from Goa “is to qualify for the Candidates”. A World Cup at home could mean added pressure but for the 22-year-old, it means a luxury of not travelling and having comfort food.
“It is definitely nice,” said Arjun. “It is not surprising that the event is happening in India and there were 7 spots from the national championship. It is good for many of these players to get an opportunity to perform at this prestigious event.”
In a group just below the top three are the likes of Gujrathi (seeded 19th), Aravindh Chithambaram (20th), Nihal Sarin (22nd) and P Harikrishna (24th) who, according to Srinath, are “potential contenders as well”.
Below them lie a host of “promising juniors” for whom a run of substance in this home event can give, as Srinath put it, “that confidence and visibility around the world”. Those include a bunch of teens in Pranav V, Raunak Sadhwani, Pranesh M and Leon Luke Mendonca.
“They haven’t quite made it to the top, but a tournament like this can be the catalyst for being a big turning point in their career,” added Srinath.
This World Cup, although with 22 players rated 2700 or above, is missing some big names in Carlsen, the previous winner in 2023, Caruana, Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja. Yet some rich foreign flavour remains in Anish Giri, Wesley So, Vincent Keymer and Wei Yi, among others.
The tournament, especially in a knockout format of two classical games followed by a series of rapid and blitz tie-breaks if needed, isn’t immune to upsets and lesser fancied players punching above their weight. Look no further than the 2023 edition where, as the 31st seed, Praggnanandhaa made a rousing march to the final before running into the Carlsen wall.
“The first three rounds are going to be challenging for everyone,” said Srinath. “It’s also the best time for anyone to make an upset, because the best players will take some time to grow into the tournament.”
Apart from the top 50 seeds with byes into the second round, 156 players will get down to it with that thought on Saturday.
