๐ฏ AICF announces Indian Squad for 44th Chess Olympiadยถ
All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Monday announced Indiaโs 20 member squad which is the biggest ever Olympiad squad, for the 44th Chess Olympiad as India prepares to host the prestigious tournament of Chess in Chennai, India. Olympiad will be held from 28th July to 10th August.
India being the host are eligible to field two teams each in the Open
category as well as womenโs section for the first time ever. Being able
to play with two teams each in both fields has certainly increased the
chances of winning medals for India. The event is the biggest chess event
and likely to witness participation of whooping 150 countries and more.
India A team consist of GM Vidit Gujrathi, who led India in the 2020 online
chess Olympiad to win Gold alongside GM Pentala Harikrishna the top
Indian, GM Krishnan Sasikiran, young star Arjun Erigaisi and S L
Narayanan in the open section.
The last one year was an impressive for Arjun Erigaisi winning and competing
in top events and he will be the player to watch out for as he makes debut.
Also it will be debut event for S L Narayanan.
Team India A; credits: AICF India
India B team consist of young Indian guns performing consistently who
are the topic of discussion in chess world, Nihal Sarin, R
Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh and Raunak Sadhwani. All are under 20 and will
be making their debut in this event. Along with them we also have
experienced player Adhiban Baskaran who has also won the bronze in team
in 2014 chess Olympiad.
Team India B; credits: AICF India
AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan said โOpportunity to field two teams
at the Chess Olympiad opens the door for many young Indian talents to
showcase their game at the biggest stage which otherwise would only have been
possible after a wait of probably another couple of years. Itโs 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 and Iโm confident
that they will make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I
wish all the members the best luck for the event and their
preparations,โ
The Indian women teams will have extremely experienced and talented
Koneru Humpy and World no. 10 Harika Dronavalli, who have showcased
their world class play in many international tournaments. Tania Sachdev
included in the first team along with Vaishali R and Bhakti Kulkarni,
who will be making their debuts.
Team India A womenโs section; credits: AICF India
The second team, in the womenโs section, will consist of national
champions Soumya Swaminathan, Mary Ann Gomes and Padmini Rout along with
Vantika Agrawal and 16-year-old Divya Deshmukh.
Team India B womenโs section; credits: AICF India
The five-time World Champion and Indian star legendary Viswanathan
Anand, who decided not to play in the upcoming Chess Olympiad, will be
very much in action as the mentor of the Indian teams. โI 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,โ
Anand said.
Interesting fact, 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, who played in 1988โs edition held in Greece. GM
Pravin Thipsay will be the Head of the Indian Delegation.