Chess Olympiad 2022: Top Indian players who could be at their absolute best in Chennai

The 44th Chess Olympiad, scheduled to be held in Mahabalipuram, Chennai from July 28 onwards is on cusp of history as the only edition so far featuring most number of participating countries and teams. A total of 187 countries with 188 teams in the open section and 162 teams in the women’s section will lock horns during the coveted tournament. Meanwhile, a record total of 30 chess players from India, divided across six teams, three in the open and three in the women’s section, are set to compete against the world’s best. 

Four players out of the five in a team will be fielded in each round of the tournament, with the captain deciding the team composition. The Chess Olympiad will be an 11 Round Swiss League event, where the host country is allowed to field two teams. However, India could field one additional team in both categories, as the total number of participating teams was odd. Having said that, here’s a look at the top players from India, who could be at their absolute best and will be the most exciting players to watch out for during the mega event. 

P Harikrishna

Currently ranked as the World No. 25, grandmaster, P Harikrishna is one of the most seasoned and decorated campaigners in Team India. He will be the highest-rated player from India as he is now in the third decade of his international career. P Harikrishna is 36 years old and became the country’s youngest grandmaster in 2001, the same year when he claimed the Commonwealth title. He recently won the Prague Masters tournament in June.

Vidit Gujarathi

The 26-year-old grandmaster Vidit Gujarathi is the leading face of modern Indian chess players. Known for streaming chess on a regular basis, Vidit led the Indian team to share the gold medal with Russia in 2020. Since the previous edition of the Chess Olympiad in 2018, Vidit has won the 2019 Biel International title and finished as the runner-up in the 2020 Prague Chess Festival. It would be safe to say that the entire nation will keep an eye on Vidit’s performance as he is expected to play a key role in India’s campaign. 

Arjun Eirgaisi

18-year-old grandmaster Arjun Eirgaisi remains one of the top players from India to participate in the upcoming Chess Olympiad, given his rapid rise in the world rankings. Arjun took 12 months to better his ratings from 2567 to 2689 and broke into the World top-50. He has won the National championships and Delhi International Open and finished the FTX Road to Miami prelims in the second position. 

R Pragganandhaa

The wiry 16-year-old grandmaster, R Pragganandhaa is the new found love of chess lovers in India. He has remained in the headlines in 2022 for defeating the world champion Magnus Carlsen on two different occasions. He recently won the Oaracin Open in Serbia and is set to participate in his first Chess Olympiad.

SL Narayanan

25-year–old grandmaster from Thiruvananthapuram SL Narayanan earned the grandmaster title in 2015. A series of consistent performances in the latter part of 2021, rightfully earned him a place in the Indian team. He is currently rated at 2659 points and is expected to rise the occasion for India on the back of his well-rounded game.

More about the Indian squad at the 44th Chess Olympiad

The Indian team also features other top players like K. Sasikaran, N Srinath, Nihal Sarin, Tania Sachdev, K. Humpy and D. Gukesh among others. The Round 1 of the Chess Olympiad will begin on July 29, while the tournament kicks off with the opening ceremony on July 28. Meanwhile, here’s a look at all of the six teams from India, that will participate in the Chess Olympiad. 

Open Section-

A: Vidit S Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, S L Narayanan, K Sasikiran.

B: Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, B Adhiban, Raunak Sadhwani.

C: Surya Shekhar Ganguly, S P Sethuraman, Abhijeet Gupta, Karthikeyan Murali, Abhimanyu Puranik

Women’s section-

A: Koneru Humpy, D Harika, R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, Bhakti Kulkarni.

B: Vantika Agarwal, Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout, Divya Deshmukh.

C: Easha Karvade, Sahithi Varshini. Pratyusha Bodda, P V Nandhidhaa, Vishwa Vasnawala.

(Image: @aicf_chess/Instagram/@NandhidhaaPV/Twitter)