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New Delhi: Koneru Humpy will aim to defend her title at the star-studded FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha while world champion D Gukesh will have an opportunity to end the chess season on a high when the event begins on December 25, Thursday.
Following an underwhelming season, Gukesh, who became the youngest world chess champion last year in December, will be fancying his chances at the season-ending event which will have multiple opportunities for him.
The tournament has been one of the main events in the sport from years attracting the who's who from the world of chess with the upcoming edition witnessing the likes of five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen, American players Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So, Russian Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi.
Among the Indian contenders at the event, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin will be some of top names to make appearances in a bid for the top purse in the Open section of the event. Gukesh, who clinched the chess world title after defeating Ding Liren in the finale in 2024, has not been in the best of his form this season.
The Indian chess Grandmaster began his campaign this year with a loss against compatriot R Praggnanandhaa at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, whose rise has earned widespread respect across the chess world, including from world No.1 Magnus Carlsen.
With the world championship scheduled next year, this is the opportunity for the young player to get back on track and Gukesh will get no better opportunity than to beat the likes of Carlsen, So and Nepomniachtchi, among some other names as well.
Meanwhile, the punishing schedule will witness the Rapid event being played across 13 rounds in the Open category and 11 rounds in the women's section with a time control of 15 minutes and a 10-second increment per move.
The Blitz event will be divided into the Swiss Tournament (19 round in Open and 15 in women), where the top-four players will advance to the 4-game knock-out matches. With a massive top-prize purse of 70,000 Euros for both Rapid and Blitz (Open) and 40,000 Euros in Women's section, the 400-player field in the tournament has everything to play for.
(With PTI inputs)
