Chess India Squad - Mens & Womens
| India women | India men |
| Koneru Humpy | Gukesh D |
| Harika Dronavalli | Vidit Gujrathi |
| Vaishali Rameshbabu | Arjun Erigaisi |
| Vantika Agrawal | Pentala Harikrishna |
| Savitha Shri B | Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa |
The India Chess Squad Asian Games 2023 to be staged from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China, will be led by the young Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. The youngster recently lost to World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the world championship, but has made a name for himself among the big boys of the sport.
In fact, the 18-year-old became only the second Indian after the legendary Vishwanathan Anand to reach the finals of the tournament. Last year, Praggnanandhaa defeated Carlsen in a tie-breaker and finished second in the FTX Crypto Cup. After giving Carlsen a run for his money at the world level, Carlen got a reward of INR 30 lakh from Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin.
Praggnanandhaa’s sister, Vaishali Rameshbabu, will also be plying her trade in the tournament. The 22-year-old presently holds the FIDE titles of Woman Grandmaster and International Master.
D Gukesh recently broke into the top 10 to become India’s top-ranked player in the sport. With an Elo of 2755.9, the 17-year-old went past Anand, who is currently at Elo 2754. However, the Young Turk recently said that he should not be compared with Anand.
Veteran Koneru Humpy is also a part of the Indian team. The 36-year-old Humpy has won two gold medals in the Asian Games. Humpy is also India’s youngest grandmaster when she achieved the laurel at the age of 15.
Back in July, the All-India Chess Federation (AICF) announced the Indian squad for the Asian Games. Thus far, India have bagged two golds and two bronzes in chess in the Asian Games. Humpy clinched gold back in the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
It is pertinent to note that Chess made a comeback to the Asian Games after a long gap of 13 years. The 2010 edition in Guangzhou was the last time when Chess was a part of the Asian Games.
