Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

Blitz chess is like rapid fire. There’s no time to lock target or take aim. It’s like point and shoot. If you miss, you miss. If you hit, you hit. Chances are high that the more accomplished the player, the greater the probability to succeed. That turned out to be the case in the open section of Tata Steel Chess India. After the first nine rounds in the blitz segment, Wesley So was leading with seven points. He is the highest-rated player in the field. No. 2 Arjun Erigaisi was half-a-point behind. The final nine rounds will be played on…

It’s often said that Indians are not as good in speed chess as they are in classical. Almost all their exploits have come in the longest format. Not that returns have been zero in rapid and blitz, but compared to laurels in the traditional form, those are not many. That seems to be changing. Arjun Erigaisi won double bronze at the World Rapid and Blitz, beating Magnus Carlsen in the process. In a disappointing 2025 for him, D Gukesh also defeated the world No. 1 in rapid, other than topping that section in a competition in Zagreb. In 2024, Koneru…

Nihal Sarin was going through a range of emotions. Last night (Thursday), he received news of his grandfather passing away. On Friday, he won the rapid title at Tata Steel Chess India in Kolkata. That he wouldn’t have even played this event had D Gukesh not pulled out at the last minute makes it memorable. The reigning world champion’s late replacement finished with 6.5 points from nine rounds to edge Viswanathan Anand by half-a-point. These two faced each other in the last round, where Nihal needed a draw and Anand a win. After 21 moves in about 22 minutes, they…

Not because of its novelty on the board, this move by Wesley So might well remain a highlight of Tata Steel Chess India 2026 in Kolkata. He could have won the game by default when R Praggnanandhaa pressed the clock without having made a move. This was in the closing stages of a sixth-round game of the rapid segment. Already low on time, the Indian spent precious moments thinking and with a second remaining, pressed the clock, not realising he had not actually moved his piece. Going by the letter of the law, the player representing USA could have claimed…

Viswanathan Anand and Nihal Sarin dealt timely blows to emerge as joint leaders after Round 6 in the rapid section of Tata Steel Chess India. Arjun Erigaisi made a strong comeback after his opening-day blues. The going wasn’t as good as far as the Indian women were concerned. Three more rounds will be played on Friday before the blitz segment over the weekend. Two Indians share lead Overnight joint leader with Hans Niemann of the USA, Anand frittered away a winning position against Erigaisi and lost the fourth-round game. He then posted wins against Niemann and Volodar Murzin of Russia…

Deferment caused by the FIDE World Cup in November 2025 might have come as a blessing in disguise of sorts for Tata Steel Chess India. Forced to be held in January, the rapid and blitz event might stick to this window. This will make it the first elite competition of the year. It will also make this the only elite chess tournament in India with a fixed slot in the calendar. In the previous six editions, this event was held between a certain period, but did not have a specific time. September to December — it was played in different…

Reputation is cumbersome baggage. It has to be protected all the time. Arjun Erigaisi failed to do that on Day 1 of Tata Steel Chess India. After three rounds of rapid, he was eighth in the field of 10 with just one point. Viswanathan Anand gave a fresh taste of his greatness by finishing the day as joint-leader on 2.5 points with Hans Niemann of USA. Vidit Gujrathi was in a pack of two with two points. R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin were on 1.5 each. Aravindh Chithambaram was at the bottom with 0.5. In the women’s section, India’s top…

Volodar Murzin made headlines close on the heels of D Gukesh in December 2024. Two weeks after the Indian emerged the youngest-ever world champion in the classical format, the Russian became the second-youngest in rapid. Things changed fast. Gukesh hardly stayed at home in 2025, lost count of how many tournaments he played, suffered a dip in terms of ratings, but still retained his place in the top 10 in classical. Murzin is not even in the top 100 in rapid rankings. The 19-plus is in Kolkata for Tata Steel Chess India. “I lost almost 40 ranking points because I…

It is not difficult to imagine that fan interest in Tata Steel Chess India has dipped, even if just by a notch, following D. Gukesh’s late withdrawal from the rapid and blitz showpiece in Kolkata from January 7-11. The world champion in the classical form of the game was the biggest draw. His clashes against Viswanathan Anand were billed as the marquee games. Those fixtures were expected to fill up the auditorium that seats nearly 2000. While the tangible and intangible damages caused by Gukesh’s absence are yet to be calculated, there is no reason to think the level of…

Looking at the line-up for the women’s section of Tata Steel Chess India, it’s tempting to say that one name missing is greater than those present. There is no Koneru Humpy in the mix. Bronze medallist at the recent world rapid meet, she remains the strongest Indian woman across formats. In the stalwart’s absence, the focus from the Indian point of view in this rapid and blitz championship is on the younger bunch. They are spearheaded by Divya Deshmukh, followed by R Vaishali, Vantika Agarwal and Rakshitta Ravi. Veteran D Harika is the other Indian in the field of 10…