Divya Deshmukh, Raunak Sadhwani in national squad as AICF announces Indian contingent for Chess Olympiad

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) announced the country’s biggest-ever 20-member squad for the 44th Chess Olympiad on Monday. India is gearing up to host the prestigious tournament in Chennai from July 28 to August 10.

As the host nation, India are entitled to field two teams each—in Open category as well as women’s section for the first-time ever. It has certainly bolstered India's medal chances at the 14-day event and is expected to witness the participation of the world’s top names from more than 150 countries.

Vidit Gujrathi, who led India to a gold medal in the 2020 Chess Olympiad, will be part of India’s first team in the open section. Vidit, alongside Pentala Harikrishna and Chennai-based Krishnan Sasikiran, who have both represented India on numerous occasions, will form a strong side.

Teenage sensation Arjun Erigaisi and SL Narayanan in India’s first chess team

Arjun Erigaisi and SL Narayanan will also be part of the first Indian chess team.

Arjun has been impressive in the last year and will be one of the players to watch out for as he makes his debut at the event. SL Narayanan, whose solid style has been very impressive, will also make his debut in the major chess event.

The second team, on the other hand, will consist of young talents who have been making headlines with their consistent performances over the last couple of years. The second Indian team has upcoming stars including Praggnanandhaa R, Nihal Sarin, Gukesh D and Raunak Sadhwani.

All the aforementioned names will be making their debuts at the Chess Olympiad. The team will also have experienced player Adhiban B, who was a part of the Indian side which won the bronze medal in 2014.

“Opportunity to field two teams at the Chess Olympiad opens the door for many young Indian talents to showcase their game on the biggest stage. It’s a huge opportunity for them so early in their careers. Teams look strong and have a good mix of experience as well as young talents. I’m confident that they will make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I wish all the members the best of luck for the event and their preparations,” said AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan. [H/T: Times of India]

The Indian women's team will have an immensely talented Koneru Humpy and World No. 10 Harika Dronavalli, who have stamped their authority in many international tournaments. Tania Sachdev was included in the first team along with R Vaishali and Bhakti Kulkarni, who will be making their debuts.

The second team in the women’s section will consist of national champions Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes and Padmini Rout along with Vantika Agarwal and Nagpur’s 15-year-old Divya Deshmukh.

Viswanathan Anand named as mentor for Indian chess teams

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, who decided against playing in the upcoming Chess Olympiad, will be in action as the mentor of the Indian teams.

“I am playing very few events these days and after playing many Olympiads, I thought it was time for the younger ones to play. India has many talented youngsters like Nihal, Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Arjun, and a few more,” Anand said. [H/T: ESPN]

Interestingly, Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali will be the second set of siblings to represent the country at the same Olympiad after N Saritha and N Sudhakar Babu. Saritha and Sudhakar played in 1988's edition held in Greece.

GM Pravin Thipsay will be the Head of Delegation. GM Srinath and GM RB Ramesh will be the coaches for the first and second teams in the open section, respectively. GM Abhijit Kunte will be the coach for the women’s first team and GM Swapnil Dhopade for the second team.

India won a bronze medal at the Tromso Chess Olympiad in 2014. While in the two virtual Olympiads, India won gold jointly with Russia in 2020 and the women's team won bronze in 2021.

Indian team for Chess Olympiad:

Open

India A: Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Arjun Erigaisi, S L Narayanan, K Sasikiran

India B: Nihal Sarin, D Gukesh, B Adhiban, R Praggnanandhaa, Raunak Sadhwani

Women

India A: Koneru Humpy, D Harika, R Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, Bhakti Kulkarni

India B team: Vantika Agarwal, Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes, Padmini Rout, Divya Deshmukh