Anand, Gukesh set to headline Tata Steel Chess in Kolkata

The upcoming edition of Tata Steel Chess India in Kolkata will see the return of legendary five-time world champion Vishwanathan Anand to the fray after six years, along with his protégé D. Gukesh, the incumbent FIDE world champion. The marquee event will be held from 7-11 January 2026 at the Dhana Dhanya Auditorium like last year.

The open and women’s line-ups announced by the organisers on Wednesday promise a glittering array of stars with Gukesh being accompanied by an in-form R. Praggnanandhaa, the lone Indian to qualify for next year’s Candidates chess, Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrati among others. The women’s line-up is as competitive with Divya Deshmukh, winner of the FIDE Women’s World Cup, leading the Indian challenge along with R. Vaishali, Harika Dronavalli and Vantika Agarwal.

Wei Yi, runner-up at the recently concluded FIDE World Cup in Goa, will be a star draw as well and like previous editions, the tournament will have both open and women's categories with the same format — rapid and blitz — and offer equal prize money for both categories. Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua, vice-president of All India Chess Federation (AICF), will be the tournament director.

Commenting on his return to competition, Anand, a vice-president of FIDE and the man responsible for the Indian chess revolution, said: “I am really very excited to be back at Tata Steel Chess India as a player after a gap of six years. Within this period, 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.”

D.B. Sundara Raman, vice-president (corporate services) of Tata Steel said: ‘’The return of Viswanathan Anand as a player adds a special dimension to this year’s edition, and we are proud to continue strengthening India’s position on the global chess map.”

Open category: Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh Dommaraju, Wesley So, Wei Yi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Volodar Murzin, Hans Niemann, Vidit Gujrathi, Aravindh Chithambaram

Women: Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, Divya Deshmukh, Vaishali R., Nana Dzagnidze, Harika Dronavalli, Carissa Yip, Stavroula Tsolakidou, Vantika Agrawal, Rakshitta Ravi.