Five Indian players are competing in the FIDE Candidates 2024 chess tournament starting on April 3 in Toronto, Canada. R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, and D. Gukesh secured spots in the men’s tournament, while R. Vaishali and Koneru Humpy will compete in the women’s category.
The men’s tournament features contenders like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Nijat Abasov, Hikaru Nakamura, and Alireza Firouzja. For the women’s event, participants include Lei Tingjie, Kateryna Lagno, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Nurgyul Salimova, Anna Muzychuk, and Tan Zhongyi.
The winners of the Candidates’ tournaments will challenge reigning world champions Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun in their respective categories.
Initially, concerns were raised over delayed visa arrivals for players and their teams. FIDE appealed to the Canadian government for a resolution. However, after public outcry, all visas were issued, ensuring timely participation in the tournament.
The tournament offers a significant prize pool of €500,000 for the men’s category and €250,000 for the women’s category. Renowned chess player Viswanathan Anand will provide commentary during the event, expressing enthusiasm for the Indian contingent’s participation.
