No Praggnanandhaa Or Gukesh For Chennai Grand Masters? Here's Why

News18

4 days ago

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The Chennai Grand Masters starts Wednesday with stars like Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi. Despite D Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa R's absence, it promises a record prize pool.
The third edition of the Chennai Grand Masters is all set to get underway on Wednesday, reaffirming its status as one of the most significant classical chess tournaments held in India.
With a top-tier field featuring stars like Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Anish Giri, and Jorden van Foreest, and a promising Challengers section spotlighting the country's emerging talent, the tournament is increasingly becoming a cornerstone of India's chess calendar.
Running from August 7 to 15, this year's edition promises to be bigger and bolder, with an enhanced format, a star-studded field, and a record prize pool of ₹1 crore.
For the first time in the tournament's history, both the Masters and Challengers sections will feature nine rounds of classical round-robin chess — a step up from the seven-round structure used in previous editions.
Yet, the absence of two of India's brightest stars — reigning World Champion D Gukesh and the prodigious Praggnanandhaa R — has sparked debate, especially given the tournament's symbolic importance in Chennai, the spiritual home of Indian chess.
No Gukesh or Pragg — and why that matters
Tournament Director and Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan addressed the matter with refreshing candour, explaining that scheduling clashes were unavoidable this year.
'Ideally, we would have loved to have Gukesh and Pragg playing. But this year, we had to clash our event with the Grand Chess Tour because the calendar was insanely full. We simply didn't get any free dates," Srinath said. 'But in the future, whenever they are available, we would certainly love to have them. And hopefully, we can schedule it at a time when it doesn't clash with another major event."
Gukesh, riding high after his historic World Championship win earlier this year, is set to compete at the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz from August 10 to 15 — a key leg of the Grand Chess Tour. Praggnanandhaa, too, finds himself in the middle of a packed international season, leaving little room for domestic appearances.
Chennai Grand Masters' growing stature
Despite the high-profile absences, the Chennai Grand Masters continues to carve a meaningful space in the chess world. Srinath underlined the tournament's growing role in nurturing Indian talent — and helping launch them onto the global stage.
'Over the last two years, we have already seen a tradition where a young, talented player goes on to get world-class recognition after winning here," he said. 'It happened with Gukesh in 2023, and with Aravindh Chithambaram last year. We hope to keep unearthing more talents."
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