Chess
Tata Steel Chess 2026: Gukesh Dommaraju pulls out; Nihal Sarin named replacement
The 2026 Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz in Kolkata was slated to host the first clash between Gukesh and Viswanathan Anand on Indian soil.
Gukesh Dommaraju was knocked out of 2025 FIDE World Cup (Eteri Kublashvili/FIDE)
The reigning world chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju has pulled out of the prestigious 2026 Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kolkata, the organisers revealed on Friday.
"Due to personal reasons, Gukesh D will be unable to participate in Tata Steel Chess India this year. We wish him the very best and look forward to welcoming him back soon," a statement from the tournament organisers read.
Replacing Gukesh in the tournament will be Nihal Sarin, a former winner of the rapid event in Kolkata.
"Returning to Tata Steel Chess India is another one out of the four Indian prodigies who became a grandmaster at the age of 14," a social media post from the tournament's official handle read.
With five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in the field, the 2026 Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz in Kolkata was slated to be the first-ever tournament in the Indian soil where the two world champions from the country go head-to-head.
Anand himself will mark a return to the tournament for the first time in six years, when it commences on 7 January, 2026.
