Pragg, Humpy, Vaishali to lead India in Norway’s 'Wimbledon of Chess'

Stavanger (Norway), May 13 (PTI) Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa, Koneru Humpy and Vaishali Rameshbabu will spearhead India's challenge in the prestigious Norway Chess, to be held here from May 27 to June 7.

Popularly known as the 'Wimbledon of Chess', this tournament annually extends invitations to top grandmasters from the world rating list.

Praggnanandhaa's outing will be keenly watched after the world No. 11 player finished a creditable fourth in the recent Superbet rapid and blitz tournament.

He is the only Indian men’s player in the 12th edition of the event which will feature World No.1 Magnus Carlsen, who won the Superbet, World No.3 Hikaru Nakamura and current World Champion Ding Liren.

Praggnanandhaa was also the winner of the Norway Chess International Open Tournament in 2022.

He remained unbeaten throughout the nine rounds, recording 7.5 points to clinch the title.

India’s world No. 2 Humpy and No. 14 Vaishali, sister of Praggnanandhaa, will feature in a strong women’s field that has world champion Ju Wenjun of China and her compatriot Lei Tingjie.

However, within the top 100 players globally, no women are listed. Hence, to set a new benchmark for gender equality, Norway Chess has introduced world's first-ever equal female tournament this year.

Speaking about the inaugural Norway Chess Women's Tournament, legendary Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who has competed in the Norway Chess, said: "They experiment a lot with the format and time controls. I welcome their attempt to help popularise the women's game by having an equal prize fund for the women this year." PTI