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 months.
That was the plan in 2025 too, but the FIDE World Cup in Goa from October 31 to November 27 forced a change. Soon after, there was the Global Chess League in Mumbai (December 13-24), followed by the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz in Doha (December 25-30).
“We had no choice but to shift it to January, in order to ensure the participation of top players,” said Jeet Banerjee, Managing Director of Gameplan, the company which organises this event. “Once that happened, we decided to make the first week of January a permanent slot for this event. With the Tata Steel Masters held shortly afterwards, this will make January a month of Tata Steel chess.”
That will be a unique situation. Tata Steel Masters in Wijk Aan Zee in the Netherlands is a super-strong tournament in the classical format, also known as the Wimbledon of Chess. It’s played in the second half of January (from 16th this year). A fixed window for the rapid and blitz event immediately prior to the Masters will make it a top event in all three formats, sponsored by Tata Steel, one after the other.
It will also make India the permanent host of one of the world’s top speed chess competitions and the year’s first one. The event first held in 2018 has continued uninterrupted, barring 2020, due to the pandemic. Last year it was not held due to different reasons.
It has attracted the best of players over the years. Biggest names including Magnus Carlsen have made appearances in the tournament. A pre-determined early January window means the stars can plan their schedule accordingly, which was not the case when it was organised between September-December.
“Tata Steel Chess India has grown into much more than a tournament. It is now a landmark on the global chess calendar…We hope that every game played here not only crowns champions but also sparks dreams in young minds across the nation.,” said D B Sundara Ramam, Vice-President (Corporate Services), Tata Steel.
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