Gukesh and Humpy.
| Photo Credit: File pictures
A superb 12 months for Indian chess ended with the information of D. Gukesh and Ok. Humpy taking the eighth and remaining spot of their respective Candidates Tournaments, scheduled in Toronto from April 2, 2024.
The winners of those eight-player occasions will earn the best to problem the reigning World champions Chinese Ding Liren and Ju Wenjun for the titles.
Since 1991, when Viswanathan Anand remained the one Indian to play within the Candidates, 5 Indians — R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Gukesh, R. Vaishali and Humpy — making the grade is a superb international commercial for Indian chess.
On Saturday, Gukesh accomplished the eight-player area by advantage of being second on the 2023 FIDE Circuit behind an already-qualified desk topper Fabiano Caruana. The teenager was the highest-placed participant within the Circuit, not in any other case certified by the earlier World championship, World Cup, the Grand Swiss or on World rankings.
At the beginning of the World fast and blitz championship in Samarkand earlier this week, Gukesh (87.36 factors), Anish Giri (84.31), Wesley So (83.40) and Arjun Erigaisi (81.24) had hopes of creating it to the Candidates.
Anish wanted to be among the many medalists and Arjun needed to win the fast title. So had hopes of creating the reduce by advantage of being the best ranked non-qualifier as of January 1, 2024.
Anish and Arjun failed to attain their targets and So was overtaken by Alireza Firouzja, who received all seven rounds of the Rouen Open.This efficiency helped Firzouja take his score to 2764, previous So’s 2757. An unthreatened Gukesh held his place and grabbed the lone spot on supply.
For Humpy, ranked second on the January 1 World score checklist, the passage was far easier. With the highest ranked Chinese Hou Yifan exhibiting no real interest in returning to regain the title, Humpy remained the best ranked non-qualifier in the beginning of 2024.
The qualifiers: Men: Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia, 2023 World championship runner-up), R. Praggnanandhaa, Fabiano Caruana (USA), Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan, from 2023 World Cup), Vidit Gujrathi, Hikaru Nakamura (USA, from Grand Swiss), D. Gukesh (from 2023 FIDE Circuit) and Alireza Firouzja (France, highest rated non-qualifier as on January 1, 2024).
Women: Lei Tingjie (China, 2023 World championship runner-up), Kateryna Lagno (winner) and Aleksandra Goryachkina (each Russia from Women’s Grand Prix 2022-23), Nurgyyul Salimova (Bul), Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, from Women’s 2023 World Cup), R. Vaishali, Tan Zhongyi (from Women Grand Swiss, 2023) and Ok. Humpy (highest rated non-qualifier on January 1, 2024).
