CHENNAI : Viswanathan Anand will be looking for an encore at the World Rapid Championship, which got underway in St Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday. Last year, the Indian had won his second World Rapid title in Riyadh, which also included a victory over Magnus Carlsen. However, winning back-to-back World Rapid titles in the Open section is going to be tough, when one considers the depth of the field. If Anand brings his A game in the tournament, he will be in contention for the crown.
Big names like Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Levon Aronian, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Sergei Karjakin and Alexander Grischuk are part of the event. Fabiano Caruana, Vladimir Kramnik, Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are some of the prominent players opting out.
After winning the Tal Memorial at the beginning of the year, Anand has struggled in his last four rapid tournaments in Leuven, Paris, St Louis and Kolkata, which has resulted in him being seeded 24th in the event. Unfazed by setbacks, Anand has the ability to raise his game in big tournaments, which is the reason for him being at the top for more than 25 years. In 2017, Anand had a forgettable tournament in London but followed it up by comprehensively winning the World Rapid title, when nobody expected him to do it!
Anand’s chances of doing well in Russia depends on how he performs in the first half of the tournament. Remaining undefeated will be crucial for Anand to make an impact in the tournament. It is vindicated by the fact that he won a bronze in 2014 and gold in 2017, when he remained unbeaten for 15 rounds on both the occasions.
“Anand has chances to retain his title. Considering this format I can’t name anyone favourite, including Carlsen,” was how India GM Sundararajan Kidambi summed up when asked whether Anand’s chances. India No 2 Pentala Harikrishna has had a good year in the quicker format, defeating Czech No 1 David Navara in a rapid match, besides finishing joint second at the Tata Steel India rapid tournament. If he continues his rich vein of form, Harikrishna will have a positive tournament.
Fresh from retaining his World title, thanks to his rapid skills, Carlsen is gunning for his third World Rapid title in five years. The Norwegian will start as favourite because of his great record in the quicker format. Nakamura, Anand, Aronian, Mamedyarov and Grischuk will be his main challengers.
In the women’s section, Dronavalli Harika and Koneru Humpy will be the two Indians in the fray. If Harika plays to her full potential, she can fight for a podium finish. Humpy, who has a terrific record in the classical format, has to raise her level in the quicker format to be in the reckoning for top spots. “I can’t rate or guess my chances because it’s rapid and blitz. Anyone can be in good form on a given day,” Harika said.
Defending champion Ju Wenjun, former champions Anna Muzychuk and Kateryna Lagno will be the strong contenders for winning the women’s title. The World Blitz Championship will take place over the weekend after the conclusion of the rapid event.