Why is Viswanathan Anand not playing for India in the chess Olympiad this year?
India, the bronze medallist from the previous competition, will be vying for their first-ever individual gold medal in the 45th Chess Olympiad, which gets underway on Wednesday in Budapest, the capital of Hungary. In the 2020 version of the competition, which was contested online and had a different format, the Indian team did win a shared gold medal with Russia, but they chose not to share it this time.
With Vidit Gujrathi, R Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaise, and P Harikrishna in their lineup, the second-seeded Indian team has all it needs to improve on their last performance—which saw them win the Bronze. However, they will once more be without the renowned Viswanathan Anand, just as they were previously.
For the second time in a row, the five-time world champion—who is largely acknowledged for having revolutionized chess in India—has chosen not to participate in the world’s largest chess tournament. As a member of the Ganges Grandmasters team, the current World No. 11 will instead make an uncommon competitive appearance in the Tech-Mahnindra Global Chess League in London the following month.
Anand, who is semi-retired from the game, expressed excitement about his next GCL stint, which takes place next month and features competition from elite international players like Magnus Carlsen.
In addition, Anand stated that he intends to compete in the Leon Masters in Spain the next year, having won it for the tenth time already this year.
“Next year, I’ll perform at a few events. I hope to play in Spain once again, although I’m not sure what they are yet. “Being semi-retired implies that I am gradually leaving rather than quitting all at once; I am taking it day by day,” the icon, who finds his administrative post “interesting,” remarked.
The Indian squad lacks punch even with Anand out of the picture. World number four Arjun Erigaise has been steadily moving up the ranks, much like Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh, while older players Vidit Gujrathi and Harikrishna offer much-needed steadiness.
