Rapid and blitz formats are making chess increasingly popular worldwide. More and more competitions are being held in these shorter formats. Thanks to the internet, both professional and casual players can make their moves from the comfort of their homes.
The Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz has established itself as one of the top events globally since its inception in 2018, despite a Covid-19 intervention in 2020. Legendary players like Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand participated in the early editions.
The women’s category was introduced last year, making the elite competition more comprehensive. The second edition of this section will take place at the National Library in Kolkata from Thursday, August 31. The competition features 10 players, including India’s Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika. The event will include round-robin leagues for both rapid and blitz matches. Rapid matches will be played over the initial three days, followed by blitz on the last two days.
Leading names like Wenjun Ju, a world champion in multiple formats and ranked No. 1 in rapid chess, are participating. Having recently defended her world championship crown in the classical format in July, the Chinese Grandmaster starts as the favourite. Anna Ushenina from Ukraine, the defending champion in the rapid section and ranked World No. 30, is among those aiming to challenge Wenjun.
Nino Batsiashvili, who secured a gold medal on the second board along with a team silver at last year’s Chess Olympiad, is another foreign player to watch. She holds the 39th rank in the world. The list of international participants is completed by Russian player Polina Shuvalova and Irina Krush from the USA.
Ranked fourth in the world in rapid chess, Koneru Humpy will lead the Indian contingent. She is the only Indian woman to have won medals in classical, rapid, and blitz world championships. The 36-year-old Grandmaster, who secured team bronze at the Olympiad, stated, “I didn’t have a good outing here last year. I hope to do better this time.”
Harika, ranked eleventh in the world in rapid chess, was also a part of the Indian team, along with Humpy, that won the Olympiad bronze. A three-time former bronze medallist in the classical format of the world championship, Harika is a strong contender. India’s No. 3 player, R Vaishali, will not be participating due to illness. She had won the blitz title last year. Vantika Agarwal, Savitha Shri, and Vaishali’s replacement, Divya Deshmukh, complete the Indian quintet.
Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice-President of Corporate Services at Tata Steel, was present at the draw for the women’s competition. This event stands out as one of the few offering equal prize money in both the open and women’s sections. The total prize pool for each section is $41,500 (Rs 34.29 lakh). The open category matches will be played from September 5-9.
Also Read: Praggnanandhaa’s March Into Chess World Cup final a Triumph for the Quiet Ones