Gukesh back in action in Superbet Classic

World Champion D Gukesh will be the top seeded player at the Superbet Classic, where the young chess wizard will have the opportunity to cross the 2800 rating mark for the first time in his career. The tournament, starting Wednesday, is the first event under classical chess in Grand Chess Tour this year. Gukesh, ranked third in the world on ratings, will have his task cut out as all the nine Tour participants compete in the first tournament together. The wild card has been awarded to Deac Bogdan-Daniel as part of the host country.

After a second-place finish at the Tata Steel Masters in January, Gukesh will be seen playing in a Classical event after a little over three months. The 18-year-old is known to be an expert in Classical chess and all his major successes have come in this format. At 2787 points currently, a good performance can help Gukesh touch the 2800 rating milestone.

Besides the World champion, R Praggnanandhaa will be the other Indian in the fray ready to give everyone a run for their money. Pragg, the winner of Tata Steel Masters tasted decent success in the preceding superbet rapid and blitz at Warsaw in Poland where he finished third.

Apart from the two Indians, Fabiano Caruana of United States, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan and Firouzja Alireza of France are the other main contenders for the title. The likes of Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and American duo of Wesley SO and Levon Aronian cannot be ruled out, given the immense experience and grit they bring on board.

Duda Jan-Kryzsztof of Poland is the 10th participant in the nine-rounds event wherein each participant will play once with the others. The total prize pool in the event is USD 350000. The year started on a positive note for Praggnanandhaa in the Tata Steel Masters and he finished second behind compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram in the Prague Masters in late February.

Now with his third-place finish in the Superbet rapid and blitz, the world number seven can confidently look forward to another good performance. Fabiano Caruana is one consistent performer in classical chess and he will be a real threat to the Indian duo if he gets going. Alireza and Abdusattorov are known for their risk-taking ability and they can turn the tables on anyone on their good day.

Participants: D Gukesh, R Praggnanadhaa (Ind); Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian Wesley So (USA); Firouzja Alireza, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb); Duda Jan Kryzsztof (Pol); Deac Bogdan Daniel (Rou). PTI