Chess
Viswanathan Anand urges Candidates bound Indian players to settle down first
Anand believes that the Indian players - three of whom will make their debut in the Candidates - have a long way to go before thinking about silverware.
Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand will be at the Candidates in the capacity of a commentator.
The Candidates Chess Tournament 2024 is scheduled to begin on April 4, and it features five Indians across the Open Candidates tournament and Women's Candidate event.
18-year-old R Praggnanandhaa, 17-year-old Gukesh and 29-year-old Vidit Gujrathi will represent India in the open event, while 22-year-old Vaishali and 36-year-old world no.5 Koneru Humpy will compete in the women's event.
This tournament, the biggest event of chess in 2024, will be held to find the challenger to the reigning world champions. The winner of the Open event will face China's Ding Liren, and the winner of the women's event will face China's Ju Wenjun.
Former five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand, ahead of the tournament, said, "The Indians are a long shot. If they can keep the tournament going that is good enough".
"They should first settle into the tournament and try to play good games. Let the big decisions come later," he added.
This will be the first Candidates tournament for three of the five competing Indians - Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh and Gujrathi.
Anand, while acknowledging their potential and youthful flare, is also aware of the fact that since this is their first time in this competition, they still have some way to go before contending for victory. "If a late opportunity presents itself, they can grab it," he said.
He has picked out Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura as favourites for the tournament. The tournament will take place in Toronto between April 3 and April 22.
