Candidates Race: Gukesh, Erigaisi Get Final Chance In Last-Minute Super Tournament

The race to the Candidates intensifies as India's chess capital will host Chennai Grand Masters from December 15 to 21, marking the strongest classical tournament in the nation's history. For three of the players it will be all about making it to Toronto.

Chennai Grand Masters is India's strongest classical tournament ever, providing Indian prospects GM Gukesh Dommaraju, GM Arjun Erigaisi, and Iranian star GM Parham Maghsoodloo with one more shot at qualifying for the Candidates tournament in Toronto.

Today on 11th December, the birthday of @vishy64theking, we have a BIG announcement! The Chennai Grand Masters 2023 is here. It is India's strongest ever classical super tournament! 8 amazing players are fighting it out and the rating average of the event is 2711 Elo!

Read more:… pic.twitter.com/TFqMapyNH1

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) December 11, 2023

In addition to the Indian stars, the field also includes "veteran" GMs Levon Aronian, Pentala Harikrishna and Pavel Eljanov. The lineup is completed with GM Sanan Sjugirov, who recently changed federations from Russia to Hungary, and GM Alexandr Predke, who transferred from Russia to Serbia.

The official announcement was made just four days prior to the start, on GM Viswanathan Anand's 54th birthday, which adds an unusual element to the tournament. Six players are still in the running for the two remaining spots in the Candidates with less than three weeks left of the year.

Two players currently have one foot in Toronto: GM Anish Giri (FIDE Circuit) and GM Wesley So (rating).

However, the player with the best chance to take the spot from Giri is Gukesh, who failed to edge closer in the recent London Chess Classic. But the 18-year-old can surpass the Dutch number one if he:

• Wins the event outright, or finishes tied 1st-2nd with any tie-breaks.
• Ties 1st-3rd, but ends top 2 by tie-breaks.
• Ties with up to 5 players, but is top on tie breaks.

Unsurprisingly, Giri can't resist some social media banter:

Gukesh and Arjun trying to snatch my Candidates spot is all good fun. The real worry is Wesley going after my social media domination.

— Anish Giri (@anishgiri) December 11, 2023

Erigaisi can also surpass Giri, but it will be significantly harder as he needs to win the tournament outright. Prakhar Sinha, who follows the race closely through his X/Twitter account Chess Numbers India, said the World Rapid & Blitz Championship at the end of the year could also help decide the circuit winner.

a) Gukesh catches Anish winning one of the events or having a finishing position total of <=5. (for e.g. 2nd in India and 3rd in World Rapid)

b) Arjun catches Anish by winning one of the events or having a finishing position total of <=4.

— Chess Numbers India (@chess_insights) December 11, 2023

For the rating spot Maghsoodloo, who has had an amazing year that saw him jump to world number 12, also has a chance to qualify. However, he will need to score at least 5.5/7 to gain 14 points to surpass current rating leader GM Wesley So.

Qualifying for the Candidates could prove even more difficult for the Iranian star as GM Leinier Dominguez, just one rating point behind So, is playing in the Chessable Sunway Sitges Chess Festival which kicks off in Spain on Tuesday. The Cuban-born American could potentially drop out of the tournament mid-way if he has secured the necessary rating points.

India has hosted the world championship match between GM Magnus Carlsen and Anand in 2013, a Chess Olympiad in 2022, and Tata Steel Chess India since 2018, but the Chennai Grand Masters is the country's first classical super tournament in almost 20 years. In Pune in 2004, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov and GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu tied for first place ahead of Harikrishna in third.

The event comes less than a month after the All-India Chess Federation (AICF) announced a massive financial boost to Indian stars GM Vidit Gujrathi, GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, and IM Vaishali Rameshbabu. The boost also included a plan to host five strong tournaments in the next few months to provide opportunities to the next generation of players.

Praggnanandhaa is among the six players who have already qualified for the Candidates along with Vidit.

Vidit told Indian news outlet Sportstar before the Chennai Grand Masters: "Gukesh needs to deliver an extraordinary performance to catch up. As of now, just by odds and likelihood, Anish seems like the favourite with very little time left. However, Gukesh can conduct his own tournament, similar to how Ding Liren qualified for the Candidates, and bridge the gap."

Chennai Grand Masters takes place at the luxurious 326-room Leela Palace Hotel in Chennai, where all the players will also be staying. The total prize fund is around $60,000, with $18,000 to the winner.

Levon Aronian arrives in Chennai!#chess #chessbaseindia #levonaronian #chennaigrandmasters #chennai #legend pic.twitter.com/1QPQFR5Szd

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) December 12, 2023