Gukesh.
| Photo Credit: FIDE
World champion D. Gukesh has pulled out of the Tata Steel Chess India tournament, to be held in Kolkata from January 7 to 11, due to personal reasons.
“Due to personal reasons, D. Gukesh will be unable to participate in Tata Steel Chess India this year,” the organisers of the rapid and blitz event said on social media.
Nihal Sarin will replace compatriot Gukesh in the tournament, the organisers announced.
The event will see the return of five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand as a player, after being the ambassador over the last few years.
The other Indians in the fray in the men’s section are: R. Pragganandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Aravindh Chithambaram.
Wesley So, Wei Yi, Volodar Murzin and Hans Niemann complete the line-up.
In the women’s section, the focus would be on World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh. Along with her, R. Vaishali, D. Harika, Vantika Agrawal, and Rakshitta Ravi form the Indian challenge in the tournament which also features Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, Nana Dzagnidze, Carissa Yip and Stavroula Tsolakido.
The rapid event will be played from January 7 to 9 followed by the blitz on January 10 and 11.
Published – January 03, 2026 06:32 pm IST
