Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali to spearhead Indian challenge in Chess Olympiad

NEW DELHI: World champion D Gukesh, the in-form R Praggnanandhaa and Candidates winner R Vaishali headline a star-studded Indian team for the FIDE Chess Olympiad to be played from September 16 to 27 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Both the Indian teams of five men and five women are the defending champions, having won the respective titles in 2024 in a historic achievement.

The other members of the team in the Open section are Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi. Sarin is the only new addition to the team that won the 2024 Open title.

The women's team comprises all the top stars of the country -- Koneru Humpy, Vaishali, World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B.

Humpy was not a part of the title-winning team in 2024 and neither was Savitha.

The 20-year-old Praggnanandhaa has been in top form, winning the Norway Chess tournament in June. He had defeated world No. 1 and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen and Gukesh, among others, on his way to the title.

Gukesh, however, has not been at his best for some time. In the recently-concluded Chennai Grand Masters, Gukesh lost three of his seven matches and finished last with just two points.

In April this year, Vaishali became the first Indian woman chess player to win the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament, earning the right to challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the Women's World Championship title.

Indian Team for Chess Olympiad: Open: Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa R, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi.

Captain: Srinath Narayanan Women: Humpy Koneru, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B.

Captain: Swayams Mishra.