Asian Games: Indian Chess contingent to undergo tactical camp in Kolkata

Indian chess contingent for the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China will undergo a four-day tactical camp in Kolkata on the sidelines of Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2023 from 30th August.

The team comprising veteran Pentala Harikrishna, World Cup runner-up GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa along with three other quarter-finalists Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, and D Gukesh will be training under head coach legendary GM Boris Gelfand and includes coach Srinath Narayanan, assistant coaches Vaibhav Suri and Arjun Kalyan.

While the men's team will start their camp on 30th August, the women's coaching camp is currently underway till Tuesday and has Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B as the participants.

"AICF's commitment is etched in unwavering support and cutting-edge facilities for our players," AIl India Chess Federation President Sanjay Kapoor stated in a release.

"This coaching camp stands as a testament to that commitment, providing an immersive experience that delves deep into strategy and finesse, enriching players' abilities in anticipation of the Asian Games scheduled in Hangzhou," the release stated further.

All the members of the Asian Games-bound Indian squad will compete in the tournament which will also see participation from former World Blitz champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and reigning World Champion Wenjun Ju.

The past few weeks have been brilliant for Indian chess with four Indian grandmasters reaching the quarter-finals of the FIDE Chess World Cup and R Praggnanandhaa finishing as runner-up of the tournament.

He also earned a spot in the 2024 Candidates tournament becoming the second Indian to do that after Viswanathan Anand.