Indian Grandmasters Struggle in Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tournament

Indian chess players faced disappointment in the recent Freestyle chess Grand Slam tournament held in Paris. Out of the twelve players competing, four were Indians, including D Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Pragnanandha. Despite their best efforts, none of the Indian players were able to secure a spot in the top eight during the round-robin phase of the tournament.

GM Shrinath Narayanan, the coach of the Chess Olympiad Gold medalist team, believes that Indian Grandmasters need more time to adapt to the freestyle format of chess. The freestyle format, inspired by the principles of Fisher Random, disrupts traditional opening theory by randomly placing pieces in early positions, forcing players to rely more on creativity and adaptability.

While Magnus Carlsen dominated the Paris leg of the tournament without the need for a tie-break, Indian players struggled to make an impact. Arjun Erigasi was the only Indian player to advance from the qualifying stage, but he was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Hikaru Nakamura.

Despite the disappointing performance of the Indian contingent, GM Shrinath remains optimistic about their future in freestyle chess. He believes that as Indian players gain more experience and take the format more seriously, they will be able to adapt and perform better in future tournaments.

Overall, the Freestyle chess Grand Slam tournament in Paris showcased the talent and potential of players from around the world, with Magnus Carlsen emerging as the dominant force. As Indian players continue to hone their skills and adapt to the freestyle format, they may soon become contenders for the top spots in international chess competitions.