Anand excited for GM tourney
FIVE-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, pictured, will be the star attraction at the Tata Steel Chess India rapid and blitz tournament in Kolkata, from November 9 to 14.
Anand, 48, said he would return to the city to play in a Grandmaster (GM) competition after 32 years.
“I remember playing my first GM tournament in Kolkata in 1986 – that was also a Tata Steel event. I was an International Master then,” Anand said.
“I have played occasionally in India. But to have fellow top 10 players here, I am very happy and excited to be part of it.
“I hope this tournament will revitalise chess in India. We now have a lot of chess fans in India, but it’s always happening somewhere else. This will be an excellent chance for them to come and enjoy (the game) like when the World Championships happened in Chennai,” he said.
It was announced that the $40000 (R599000) prize money tournament will feature three top players in the 2800-plus Elo rating.
The top players include Azerbaijan GM and world number three, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov; Armenian GM and world number six, Levon Aronian; the US’s GM Wesley So, who is world number nine; Japanese-American GM and four-time US champion, Hikaru Nakamura, who is world number 14; and Russian GM Sergey Karjakin (world number 15).
Anand regained some form at the Sinquefield Cup in August in St Louis, US.
The first Indian to become a GM, Anand was undefeated in the tournament, though he did not manage any wins either, and finished sixth out of 10 participants.
Anand is part of the Indian contingent for the Chess Olympiad later this month. It will be his first appearance in the tournament since 2006.
Apart from the Indian chess wizard, the Indian GMs include P Harikrishna, Surya Sekhar Ganguly, Vidit Gujarati, Nihal Sarin and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, as a total of 11 topranked players will compete in the meet at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
The participants will play a single round-robin rapid tournament from November 9 to 11, followed by a double round-robin blitz on the last two days. – IANS