Tata Steel Chess: Anand back after six years for master vs pupil clash with Gukesh

Kolkata: It will be a compelling showdown between a mentor and his protege when five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand returns to competitive action after six years to face reigning world champion D Gukesh among his other former wards at the seventh Tata Steel Chess here from January 7 to 11.

Anand, who last played the tournament in 2019, will be making his comeback against a new generation of Indian stars, headlined by Gukesh, whom he has closely mentored in recent years at his WestBridge Anand Chess Academy.

It will be the first time the two world champions meet in an individual tournament on Indian soil.

The Tata Steel Chess India will be held at the Dhono Dhanyo Auditorium, featuring both Open and Women's sections in rapid and blitz formats, with equal prize money for both categories.

The Open field will also include FIDE World Cup runner-up Wei Yi, former US champion Wesley So, Hans Niemann, Volodar Murzin, and a strong Indian contingent comprising R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, supported by WACA.

The other Indians in the field include Vidit Gujrathi, Aravindh Chithambaram, Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali R, Vantika Agrawal and Rakshitta Ravi.

The women's event will be headlined by World Cup winner Divya alongside former world championship challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, Nana Dzagnidze, D Harika, and Carissa Yip.

Excited to return as player, Anand said: "...the world of chess has changed massively with the emergence of talented players across the country specially in India.

"I am really excited to accept the challenge from the young chess prodigy in this marquee tournament of India," he added in a press release.

D B Sundara Ramam, vice president (corporate services), Tata Steel, said Anand's return has added a special dimension to the event.

Tournament Director Dibyendu Barua said the event has grown into one of the premier chess tournaments globally, noting that the prospect of seeing Anand face his students and proteges underscored the symbolic passing of the torch in Indian chess.