NEW DELHI: After an exhilarating 2024, a new dawn awaits Indian chess. As it prepares for its first major event of 2025, the world’s top Grandmasters have gathered in the Netherlands for the prestigious Tata Steel Chess Tournament. Hosted in the picturesque town of Wijk aan Zee, the event will run from January 17 to February 2.Marking its 87th edition, the tournament promises an intriguing Masters category with a stellar lineup.Saif Ali Khan Health UpdateThis year’s roster includes World no. 2 Fabiano Caruana, the newly crowned World Chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju, as well as four top-10 players and seven from the top-20.Featuring five Indians for the first time in the tournament’s history, the Masters section includes India’s No. 1, Arjun Erigaisi, alongside R Praggnanandhaa and the talented Leon Luke Mendonca.The Masters: Line-upPentala Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Leon Luke Mendonca, Vincent Keymer, Max Warmerdam, Alexey Sarana, Wei Yi, Fabiano Caruana, Jorden van Foreest, Vladimir Fedoseev, D Gukesh, Anish Giri.”For the first time in the tournament’s history, we have five Indian players competing in the Masters section: D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, Pentala Harikrishna, and Leon Luke Mendonca. This is not just a testament to their individual brilliance but also a reflection of how far Indian chess has come as a collective force,” Sreekar Channapragada, an avid chess follower and co-founder of MGD1, a chess firm managing star Indian players such as Erigaisi, Mendonca, told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interaction.The Challengers roster, meanwhile, features an impressive lineup, including youth world champions Kazybek Nogerbek and Divya Deshmukh, alongside 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro from Argentina.The Challengers: Line-upThai Dai Van Nguyen, Frederik Svane, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Ediz Gurel, Aydin Suleymanli, Erwin l’Ami, Benjamin Bok, Kazybek Nogerbek, Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Arthur Pijpers, Faustino Oro, Miaoyi Lu, Irina BulmagaD Gukesh vs Anish Giri: A mouth-watering openerWith only amateurs taking the stage on Friday, January 17, the Masters and Challengers will begin their games on Saturday.The draw for the Round 1 match pairings took place on Friday, setting up an exciting start. Gukesh will kick off his campaign with a highly anticipated clash against World no. 22 Anish Giri.Meanwhile, India’s No. 1 Arjun will face Giri in the second round of the tournament.”Arjun has shown he’s not afraid of big moments, and that’s crucial in a tournament like Tata Steel. With the support of a strong Indian contingent, this could very well be the tournament where he makes a definitive statement about his place in the elite,” Sreekar added.Gukesh back to the boardD Gukesh, who was awarded Rs 1 crore by the All India Chess Federation (AICF) during a grand felicitation ceremony and was recognised with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna on Thursday and Friday, respectively, will make his return to the board after the historic victory in Singapore last month.There, he defeated China’s Ding Liren and became the youngest-ever World Chess champion.”Gukesh’s journey over the past few years has been nothing short of extraordinary. He’s shown that age is no barrier to taking on the giants of chess. While the break might raise questions, I believe it has only sharpened his hunger to succeed,” he added. “The Masters is a fiercely competitive field, but Gukesh thrives in such environments.”ALSO READ: Tata Steel Chess Tournament: Favourites and dark horsesWhen it comes to the tournament favourites, Sreekar believes Caruana and home favourite Giri could be the frontrunners in the classical format. The list of dark horses is dominated by the Indians.”In the Masters, players like Fabiano Caruana remain favourites due to their track records. Anish Giri, with his consistency and home-ground advantage, is another strong name,” he explained. “When it comes to dark horses, Indian players truly steal the spotlight. Gukesh has already demonstrated his ability to take on the world’s elite, while Arjun’s innovative and unpredictable brilliance can unsettle even the most prepared opponents. Praggnanandhaa consistently stands out as a wildcard in high-stakes tournaments. Joining them is Leon, whose rapid ascent and dynamic style make him a formidable contender capable of delivering surprising results on any given day.””In the Challengers, Divya & Vaishali are the names to watch. They had a phenomenal run recently and had the determination to shine against strong opposition,” Sreekar concluded.Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025: Full ScheduleRound 1 – Saturday, 18 January 2025Pentala Harikrishna vs Arjun ErigaisiPraggnanandhaa R vs Nodirbek AbdusattorovLeon Luke Mendonca vs Vincent KeymerMax Warmerdam vs Alexey SaranaWei Yi vs Fabiano CaruanaJorden van Foreest vs Vladimir FedoseevGukesh D vs Anish GiriRound 2 – Sunday, 19 January 2025Arjun Erigaisi vs Anish GiriVladimir Fedoseev vs Gukesh DFabiano Caruana vs Jorden van ForeestAlexey Sarana vs Wei YiVincent Keymer vs Max WarmerdamNodirbek Abdusattorov vs Leon Luke MendoncaPentala Harikrishna vs Praggnanandhaa RRound 3 – Monday, 20 January 2025Praggnanandhaa R vs Arjun ErigaisiLeon Luke Mendonca vs Pentala HarikrishnaMax Warmerdam vs Nodirbek AbdusattorovWei Yi vs Vincent KeymerJorden van Foreest vs Alexey SaranaGukesh D vs Fabiano CaruanaAnish Giri vs Vladimir FedoseevRound 4 – Tuesday, 21 January 2025Arjun Erigaisi vs Vladimir FedoseevFabiano Caruana vs Anish GiriAlexey Sarana vs Gukesh DVincent Keymer vs Jorden van ForeestNodirbek Abdusattorov vs Wei YiPentala Harikrishna vs Max WarmerdamPraggnanandhaa R vs Leon Luke MendoncaRound 5 – Wednesday, 22 January 2025Leon Luke Mendonca vs Arjun ErigaisiMax Warmerdam vs Praggnanandhaa RWei Yi vs Pentala HarikrishnaJorden van Foreest vs Nodirbek AbdusattorovGukesh D vs Vincent KeymerAnish Giri vs Alexey SaranaVladimir Fedoseev vs Fabiano CaruanaRound 6 – Friday, 24 January 2025Arjun Erigaisi vs Fabiano CaruanaAlexey Sarana vs Vladimir FedoseevVincent Keymer vs Anish GiriNodirbek Abdusattorov vs Gukesh DPentala Harikrishna vs Jorden van ForeestPraggnanandhaa R vs Wei YiLeon Luke Mendonca vs Max WarmerdamRound 7 – Saturday, 25 January 2025Max Warmerdam vs Arjun ErigaisiWei Yi vs Leon Luke MendoncaJorden van Foreest vs Praggnanandhaa RGukesh D vs Pentala HarikrishnaAnish Giri vs Nodirbek AbdusattorovVladimir Fedoseev vs Vincent KeymerFabiano Caruana vs Alexey SaranaRound 8 – Sunday, 26 January 2025Arjun Erigaisi vs Alexey SaranaVincent Keymer vs Fabiano CaruanaNodirbek Abdusattorov vs Vladimir FedoseevPentala Harikrishna vs Anish GiriPraggnanandhaa R vs Gukesh DLeon Luke Mendonca vs Jorden van ForeestMax Warmerdam vs Wei YiRound 9 – Tuesday, 28 January 2025Wei Yi vs Arjun ErigaisiJorden van Foreest vs Max WarmerdamGukesh D vs Leon Luke MendoncaAnish Giri vs Praggnanandhaa RVladimir Fedoseev vs. Pentala HarikrishnaFabiano Caruana vs Nodirbek AbdusattorovAlexey Sarana vs Vincent KeymerRound 10 – Wednesday, 29 January 2025Arjun Erigaisi vs Vincent KeymerNodirbek Abdusattorov vs Alexey SaranaPentala Harikrishna vs Fabiano CaruanaPraggnanandhaa R vs Vladimir FedoseevLeon Luke Mendonca vs Anish GiriMax Warmerdam vs Gukesh DWei Yi vs Jorden van ForeestRound 11 – Friday, 31 January 2025Jorden van Foreest vs. Arjun ErigaisiGukesh D vs Wei YiAnish Giri vs Max WarmerdamVladimir Fedoseev vs Leon Luke MendoncaFabiano Caruana vs Praggnanandhaa RAlexey Sarana vs Pentala HarikrishnaVincent Keymer vs Nodirbek AbdusattorovRound 12 – Saturday, 1 February 2025Arjun Erigaisi vs. Nodirbek AbdusattorovPentala Harikrishna vs Vincent KeymerPraggnanandhaa R vs Alexey SaranaLeon Luke Mendonca vs Fabiano CaruanaMax Warmerdam vs Vladimir FedoseevWei Yi vs Anish GiriJorden van Foreest vs Gukesh DRound 13 – Sunday, 2 February 2025Gukesh D vs Arjun ErigaisiAnish Giri vs Jorden van ForeestVladimir Fedoseev vs Wei YiFabiano Caruana vs Max WarmerdamAlexey Sarana vs Leon Luke MendoncaVincent Keymer vs Praggnanandhaa RNodirbek Abdusattorov vs Pentala Harikrishna
Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025: D Gukesh to return to board with intriguing Round 1 clash against Anish Giri | Chess News
