India's Chess Olympiad squad to be finalized within a week, confirms AICF president Nitin Narang

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has stated that the Indian team will be finalized for the forthcoming Chess Olympiad in Budapest within a week. Following a sudden delay in the decision-making process, the players had been on tenterhooks, and the preparation schedules may also be affected. It should be noted that the Olympiad is set to begin on September 10 in Hungary.

While the AICF selection policy had planned to announce the team three months in advance to identify team combinations by June, a top official revealed that the operations were underway with more time than expected to finalize the Chess Olympiad team.

No reason for the delay was articulated which has apparently caused dismay among the players. For instance, Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli has not yet confirmed participation due to this reason.

AICF president Nitin Narag was quoted as saying by PTI (via Sportstar):

“The selection process is underway, and the team should be finalized in a week."

Harika stated that she is having other tournaments and expected the announcement to come without delay. Though the AICF has contacted her regarding the Olympiad, information on the selection details of the players has not been given to her.

The postponement has disturbed the planning timelines of players, thereby affecting their initiatives to work and practice effectively for the prestigious event. Harika said:

“I have a few tournaments lined up. Hopefully, the (team) announcement comes soon so I can plan accordingly. But I am not quite aware of the (selection) details.”

This will be the 45th edition of the event and the first official hosting by Hungary. Earlier they had hosted an unofficial Olympiad in 1926.

It is pertinent to mention that the AICF announced the qualification process and mentioned criteria earlier this year, based on the June 2024 FIDE Rating List. It requires players to have played at least nine games by June.

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India's performance in recent Chess Olympiad sets base for the upcoming edition

India have been a good performer, having a rich haul in the Chess Olympiad. It hosted the event in 2022 and secured bronze medals in both the Open and Women's categories.

The Open category bronze winners in 2022 were D Gukesh, Nihal Sarin, R Praggnanandhaa, Adhiban Baskaran, and Raunak Sadhwani. In the women's category, Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Rameshbabu Vaishali, Tania Sachdev, and Bhakti Kulkarni proved their mettle.

In the open section, India's other team ensured a podium finish at the third position. This team included Pentala Harikrishna, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan, and Krishnan Sasikiran. Their combined match points in the open and women's sections were also the highest for which they received the Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy.