The Tata Steel Masters was a reality check for Indian chess. Four players from the country took the 10th-13th positions in a field of 14 in the year’s first super strong event in the classical format. A new bunch seems to be ready to take them on.
Chances are high that instead of three, there will be just one Indian in the top-10 in the new rankings. Going by live ratings, Arjun Erigaisi might suffer the biggest fall of his career after making it to the elite level — fifth to 12th. R Praggnanandhaa might slide from eighth to 14th and Aravindh Chithambaram to 39th from 32nd. Gukesh would possibly move to 10th from ninth. He finished 10th in Wijk Aan Zee.
As things stand, Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana (both USA) remain the top three. Also pushing the Indians are Anish Giri (Netherlands), Alireza Firouzja (France) and the Chinese contingent. These were the existing roadblocks on the way of the Indian youth brigade.
Abdusattorov coming of age
A new surge has come from Uzbekistan and Germany. These youngsters will keep challenging the Indians in the immediate future. Nodirbek Abdusattorov won Tata Steel by half-a-point by holding on to his lead for 10 rounds and beating Erigaisi in the last game. Anything less than a win was not going to be enough and this Uzbek lived up to his reputation of slaying Indians in crunch moments.
The 21-year-old is likely to gain 19.5 points and move up to fifth from 12th when the official list for February is updated. A contemporary of the famed Indian trio, he had defeated Gukesh in the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Chennai to lead Uzbekistan to gold. Hopes dashed at the last minute, the host nation had to be satisfied with bronze. Strong in speed chess also, Abdusattorov is hailed as a top gun in the making.
Javokhir Sindarov enhanced Uzbekistan’s reputation by finishing runner-up. After winning the FIDE World Cup in November and securing a Candidates berth, the 20-year-old gave another good account of himself in a marquee gathering. He is likely to gain 19.4 rating points and climb to 11th from 20th. With Nodirbek Yakubboev nearing the 2700 mark and veteran Rustom Kasimdzhanov chugging on, Uzbekistan can pose a strong challenge in the Olympiad later this year.
Keymer on the rise too
Vincent Keymer leads a formidable German representation. The world No. 4 finished fifth in Wijk Aan Zee with an unusual card of six wins and four defeats in 13 rounds. He drew with Gukesh and beat the other three Indians. Matthias Bluebaum embellished his CV after making the Candidates cut by inching closer to 2700. Frederik Svane had knocked Gukesh out of the World Cup in Goa. Keymer and Svane are 21. Bluebaum is 28. World No. 6 as a country, Germany has the talent and wherewithal to question the existing order.
Country-wise rankings are done on the basis of the average ratings of the top 10 players of a nation. Reigning Olympiad champions India are second behind the USA. But as seen from recent results, things are evening out. Of the eight Candidates, two are from the USA, with one each from India, China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Germany and the Netherlands.
In a horizon not far away, a 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus from Turkiye or a 15-year-old Andy Woodward of the USA is emerging. Indian movers and shakers face stiff competition to protect their growing reputation of being conquerors, in the year featuring the Candidates, Olympiad, World Championship and more.
Note: Data from fide.com and 2700chess.com. Updated after the end of the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk Aan Zee.
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