Rapid and blitz chess in Kolkata
The seventh edition of Tata Steel Chess India tournament will be staged in Kolkata from 7 to 11 January, continuing the event's established rapid-and-blitz format. As in recent editions, the tournament comprises Open and Women's sections, each featuring ten players. Both competitions will be played over separate rapid and blitz events, with two distinct winners crowned rather than a combined overall champion.
The tournament will be played at the Dhano Dhanyo Auditorium, a modern multi-auditorium complex in Alipore, Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The auditorium takes its name from Dhanadhanya in honour of Dwijendralal Ray, the celebrated poet, playwright and lyricist, and provides a contemporary setting for one of India's flagship chess events.
The Dhanadhanya Auditorium | Photo: JustDial
This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.The rapid tournaments will be played from 7 to 9 January, with three rounds per day. The blitz sections follow on 10–11 January, featuring nine rounds per day. Play begins each day at 15:00 local time (10:30 CET, 04:30 ET).
The time controls are:
- Rapid: 15 minutes per game with a 10-second increment from move one
- Blitz: 3 minutes per game with a 2-second increment from move one
The structure is similar to that used in Grand Chess Tour events, although points from rapid and blitz are not pooled in Kolkata. Both the Open and Women's events offer equal prize money, underlining the organisers' commitment to gender parity in elite chess.
The most recent edition of Tata Steel Chess India was held in November 2024. The 2026 tournament marks the seventh overall edition and the fourth time that the Open and Women's competitions will take place concurrently.
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu played for the first time against India's chess hero Vishy Anand at the 2019 edition of the Tata Steel Chess India event - both players will face each other again this year | Photo: Amruta Mokal
Open section
The Open field consists of six Indian players and four international invitees. Four participants are rated 2700 or above in the last ranking of rapid chess published by FIDE: Arjun Erigaisi, Wei Yi, Viswanathan Anand and Wesley So.
The headline name is five-time world champion Vishy Anand, who returns to the tournament for the first time since 2019, when the event formed part of the Grand Chess Tour. Anand has a strong history in Kolkata, having won the blitz section in 2018, defeating none other than Hikaru Nakamura in the tiebreaks.
Reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju was expected to participate but withdrew shortly before the event for personal reasons. He has been replaced by Nihal Sarin, who is widely regarded as a particularly strong contender in blitz, where he is currently ranked among the world's top 20.
In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.The Open section also includes Hans Niemann, whose uncompromising approach is likely to add a combative edge to both the rapid and blitz tournaments.
Women's section
The Women's field features a more international lineup, with six overseas players and four from India. Four competitors are rated 2400 or above in rapid chess: Aleksandra Goryachkina, Divya Deshmukh, Kateryna Lagno and Harika Dronavalli.
Goryachkina arrives in Kolkata fresh from winning the 2025 Women's World Rapid Championship and will defend her rapid title here. Lagno, meanwhile, is the reigning blitz champion. Other former winners are also present: Divya Deshmukh captured the rapid title in 2023, while Vaishali Rameshbabu won the blitz section in 2022, the first year the women's tournament was staged in Kolkata.
The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.
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