India’s chess contingent for the upcoming Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, has been announced, featuring a strong lineup of players. Notably, D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa will be representing India in the prestigious event. Gukesh, who is set to challenge defending world champion Ding Liren of China in the World Chess Championship in November, considers this Olympiad as a valuable dress rehearsal for the upcoming summit clash. The 18-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable year, having won the prestigious Candidates event in Toronto in April, becoming the youngest player to qualify for the World Championship finale.
The men’s team, as confirmed by AICF President Nitin Narang, will also include Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, and Harikrishna Pentala. Meanwhile, the women’s team will be led by Harika Dronavalli, alongside Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev. Notably, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, who won the bronze medal in the 2022 Olympiad, is absent from the women’s team, with the reason for her omission remaining undisclosed.
In preparation for the Olympiad, Narang confirmed that discussions are ongoing regarding a pre-event camp. The camp is scheduled for the end of August, with the exact venue and date to be finalized soon. India hosted the previous edition of the Chess Olympiad in 2022 for the first time, securing the bronze medal in both the Open and Women’s categories. This year’s event will mark the 45th edition of the Olympiad. While this will be Hungary’s first time officially hosting the event, they previously hosted the second unofficial Chess Olympiad in 1926.
