CHENNAI: Former world champion Viswanathan Anand will spearhead India’s challenge in the FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup, to be held from May 5 to 10.
The Indian team includes country’s number two Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna and Koneru Humpy. B Adhiban and D Harika are the the reserved members.
Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik is the advisor to the Indian squad, FIDE said on its website. The field for the event includes six former world champions, plus 12 others who have been Candidates to the throne at some point.
China, with an average rating of 2717, is followed in the initial ranking by Europe (2687), Russia (2662), USA (2641), India (2605), and the “Rest of the World” team (2597).
The Chinese team includes world number three Ding Liren, Wang Hao, Wei Yi and Hou Yifan with Yu Yangyi and current women’s world champion Ju Wenjun on the bench. Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will be leading a strong European team that also includes Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, and Anna Muzychuk, with Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Nana Dzagnidze as reserve players. It will captained by former world champion Garry Kasparov.
The FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich will be acting as a captain for the ‘Rest of the World’ team. (PTI)25
