Indian Grandmasters Struggle in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tournament

Indian chess players D Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa recently participated in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tournament in Paris, but unfortunately, they were unable to make a significant impact.

Out of the twelve players in the competition, four were Indian, but only Arjun Erigaisi managed to advance past the qualifying stage. Despite his strong performance, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Hikaru Nakamura.

The tournament was dominated by World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who won the Paris leg without needing a tie-break. Indian players like Gukesh, Vidit, and Praggnanandhaa struggled to secure a spot in the top eight during the round-robin phase.

GM Srinath Narayanan, the Chess Olympiad gold medal-winning coach, believes that Indian grandmasters need more time to adapt to the freestyle format. He emphasized the importance of creativity and adaptability in this new style of chess, which randomizes starting positions.

Despite the disappointing results for the Indian contingent, there is hope for the future. Srinath is confident that as Indian players gain more experience and take freestyle chess more seriously, they will be able to adapt and perform better in upcoming tournaments.

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tournament has shown that there is still room for improvement for Indian players in this format. With dedication and practice, they have the potential to make a mark on the international chess scene.