The Tata Steel chess tournament starting in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands today will be a new beginning for D Gukesh. This top-tier event featuring 14 players will be his first outing after winning the World Championship in Singapore just over a month ago. This is also the start of a period when he will be under pressure to deliver, and his moves on and off the board will be closely followed.
It’s said that in sports, defending the crown is more difficult than winning it. The Tata Steel event is not the equivalent of the World Championship, of course. But it is the first competition where Gukesh will be expected to perform like a world champion. Victories will be celebrated and setbacks will be more talked about. The second is something the 18-year-old is yet to experience.
This tournament will also mark the beginning of a testing year for Indian players in general, not just Gukesh. They won almost every big thing on offer in 2024. Gukesh will be accompanied by Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, Pentala Harikrishna and Luke Leon Mendoca in Wijk Aan Zee. The Netherlands, the host country, has three entries. No other nation has more than one. Having five players in an elite field of 14 shows India’s growing stature as a chess power.
They have built a reputation. Now is the time to protect it. All eyes will be on Gukesh. The list of participants doesn’t have big names like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Alireza Firouzja. Still, with World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, No. 6 Nodirbek Abdusattaorov and defending champion and World No. 9 Wei Yi in the fray, it’s a formidable line-up. Take into account that Arjun is No. 4 and Gukesh No.5, and you’ll get an idea how strong the event is.
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Gukesh will face Anish Giri of the Netherlands in the first round with white pieces. Ranked 22nd at the moment, Giri has been as high as No.3 in the world rankings and is a former winner of this event. His peak rating is better than Gukesh’s and the Indian is in for a stern test in the opening round. It’s a round-robin, single-leg event, where the participants play 13 games each.
Gukesh will be tested in every round and not just the first one. Even a draw against a lower-rated opponent will draw caustic remarks from those who said he is not the deserving world champion, while beating such opponents will not fetch a lot of compliments. The road ahead might be full of banana peels. For someone who has scaled the summit at such a young age, this is a new challenge.
In more ways than one, Gukesh and the other Indians will be under scrutiny. The rest of the world must have examined their games more closely and they will be prepared for what the Indians come up with. Additionally, there will be the pressure of expectations. After the highs of 2024, this year will test their mettle. They have asserted their dominance. Now is the time to see if they can sustain it.
Also Read: Conqueror and gentleman, the Gukesh tale of simplicity in excellence