Tata Steel Chess 2025: Caruana, Gukesh and Wei amid stellar field

by ChessBase
11/20/2024 – The 87th Tata Steel Chess Tournament returns to Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, from 17 January to 2 February 2025, promising an electrifying start to the chess calendar. With five players from the world's top ten, including past champions Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri and Wei Yi, the field is stacked with talent. India's Dommaraju Gukesh, the youngest challenger for the World Championship in history, will also feature after his title clash in Singapore. Rising stars like junior world champions Kazybek Nogerbek and Divya Deshmukh, alongside prodigies Faustino Oro and Lu Miaoyi, will be playing in the Challengers. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

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Once again a top lineup

Press release by the organisers

Chess enthusiasts will be able to enjoy themselves again from 17 January to 2 February 2025 in Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands. The field of participants of the 87th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, with no less than five players from the world's top ten, is again extremely well filled this year. The event might also feature the newly crowned world champion. India's Dommaraju Gukesh will compete for the world title in Singapore from 23 November to 13 December and could become the youngest world champion in history.

Gukesh is a familiar face at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee: last year, he lost in the exciting final in the tiebreak to China's Wei Yi. Wei Yi will of course defend his title. Previous winners Fabiano Caruana from the United States and Dutchmen Anish Giri and Jorden van Foreest are also competing again for the title in the Masters tournament.

Tournament director Jeroen van den Berg is pleased with the field of participants:

I always strive for a balance between the well-known top players and promising talents. The Masters will feature Grandmasters who can still be regarded as talents in terms of age, but in terms of performance they have been outstanding for so long that they have actually already outgrown that status. I am referring especially to Praggnanandhaa, Abdusattorov and indeed Gukesh. I am proud of them when I see how, partly due to their previous participations in our tournament, they are now structurally among the world’s top players. In addition, my aim is to select as many players as possible with a strong mentality and willing to fight for the win. I think we can expect an interesting tournament on that front too.

Participants - Masters

Name Country World rank Rating Year of birth
Fabiano Caruana USA 2 2805 1992
Arjun Erigaisi India 4 2799 2003
Dommaraju Gukesh India 5 2783 2006
Nodirbek Abdusattorov Uzbekistan 6 2777 2004
Wei Yi China 9 2753 1999
Vidit Gujrathi India 15 2739 1994
R Praggnanandhaa India 18 2737 2005
Vincent Keymer Germany 21 2733 2004
Anish Giri Netherlands 22 2733 1994
Vladimir Fedoseev Slovenia 27 2712 1995
Jorden van Foreest Netherlands 41 2687 1999
Alexey Sarana Serbia 49 2679 2000
Max Warmerdam Netherlands 78 2653 2000
Leon Luke Mendonca India 114 2631 2006

Springboard to the world top

The currently more unknown talents play in the Challengers tournament. Among them are the two reigning junior world champions Kazybek Nogerbek (Kazakhstan) and Divya Deshmukh (India). Other notable invitees include the 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro (Argentina), 14-year-old Lu Miaoyi (China) and 16-year-old Ediz Gürel (Turkey).

Van den Berg:

I am very much looking forward to their arrival and I am curious to see if they can make the same great progress as the previously mentioned names at the Masters. Our tournament really turns out to be an exceptional springboard to the world top. We as an organisation are very proud of that.

Participants - Challengers

Name Country World rank Rating Year of birth
Thai Dai Van Nguyen Czech Republic 59 2670 2001
Nodirbek Yakubboev Uzbekistan 62 2668 2002
Frederik Svane Germany 72 2654 2004
Ediz Gürel Türkiye 108 2635 2008
Aydin Suleymanli Azerbaijan 113 2632 2005
Erwin l'Ami Netherlands 136 2614 1985
Benjamin Bok Netherlands 200 2593 1995
Kazybek Nogerbek Kazakhstan 455 2527 2004
Divya Deshmukh India 664 2493 2005
Rameshbabu Vaishali India 691 2490 2001
Arthur Pijpers Netherlands 847 2472 1994
Lu Miaoyi China 1170 2441 2010
Faustino Oro Argentina 1245 2433 2013
Irina Bulmaga Romania 1737 2401 1993

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