3 days ago

Anand Says Praggnanandhaa May Lead India At Chess Olympiad

Anand Says Praggnanandhaa May Lead India At Chess Olympiad
Vishy Anand on India’s Olympiad board order: ‘Very tempting to drop Pragg on Board 1’ · indianexpress.com

India must decide which chess player will play on its first board.

Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi are possible choices.

Viswanathan Anand said Praggnanandhaa is a tempting choice for board one.

Anand does not help make the decision.

He said captain Srinath may discuss the order with the players.

The players are described as willing to accept the team’s decision.

Arjun has previously shown that he is comfortable playing lower down the lineup.

He played on board three at the 2024 Chess Olympiad.

Key facts

Main contenders
Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi
Likely board-one choice
Anand said it is very tempting to place Praggnanandhaa on board one.
Anand’s role
He said he is not involved in selecting India’s board order.
Team captain
Srinath is India’s non-playing captain.
Previous lineup
Arjun Erigaisi played board three at the 2024 Olympiad.
Player consultations
Anand said Srinath likely discusses the order with the players.

Quotes

Viswanathan Anand

Former world champion and senior Indian chess player

“I have to say straight out, I have no part in the board order selection for India. They don’t consult me. So I don’t know what the order will be.”
indianexpress.com
“Right now, it’s very tempting to drop Praggnanandhaa on the first board. I think that’s probably what it’s going to be like.”
indianexpress.com

Sources

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