09-06-2025
Viswanathan Anand Is Back! Will Play In World Rapid And Blitz Team Championship
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Viswanathan Anand will compete in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championship.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will compete for the Freedom team, led by FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky, in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championship starting in Dusseldorf, Germany. Anand is the only Indian player on his team.
The WR Chess team, considered the favourites, will be led by Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi on the top board, as the world's number one player, Magnus Carlsen, has withdrawn from the tournament. Arjun Erigaisi will play on the top board for his team, supported by P Harikrishna on the second board. They will represent the SG Alpine Warriors team.
World junior champion V Pranav is a valuable addition to the SG Alpine Warriors, along with Luke Leon Mendonca, tipped as a future star of Indian chess, following the rise of world champion D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and Aravindh Chithambaram.
Nihal Sarin will also compete, representing the fifth-seeded Ashdod Elite Chess Club. Both Nihal and Anand will play as the top seeds on their respective boards, as will Arjun Erigaisi. However, the event will be without Carlsen and Gukesh, who have both opted out.
The WR Chess team is the top contender for the title, boasting players like Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Wesley So. Each round must include a female player and a player rated below 2200 on the FIDE rating list as of 1 June, adding a compelling dynamic to the tournament.
The event offers substantial prize money, with the winners of the rapid and blitz competitions receiving USD 110,000 and USD 75,000 respectively. The previous edition was highly successful, due in large part to Carlsen's participation.
The prospects of the Indian team, SG Alpine Warriors, rest heavily on Arjun Erigaisi's performance.
First Published:
June 09, 2025, 20:59 IST
