OSLO: There was a time in the not so distant past, 2020 and 2021 to be precise, when the Norway Chess roster didn't have any Indian players. Viswanathan Anand, a staple of the event since its inception in 2013, had gradually stopped being an active member of the circuit.
Since 2022, however, the elite field has always fielded at least one Indian. Since 2024, though, when they put in place a simultaneous tournament, that number has jumped to three. It kind of reflects the growing importance of having Indian players in elite chess fields.
In 2024, for example, there were three. In 2025 as well as in the current edition, there have been four. Why? "It's very important, the Indian players," Kjell Madland, Norway Chess CEO, tells The New Indian Express. "They are some of the best players in the world."
That's also true. Since 2023, when India's post-pandemic chess boom really captured the imagination both in terms of global results as well as a youngsters either making GM or IM norms, the elite invitation only event has made it a point to have Indians in the field.
D Gukesh was here in 2023 months after he had dazzled for India at the Olympiad less than a year earlier. R Praggnanandhaa, a month after enduring a less than ideal Candidates in 2024, created shockwaves in the world of chess as he took down Magnus Carlsen. Both Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh are back in 2026. In the interim, Arjun Erigaisi, who became a beast of the chess world by playing in a whole host of open tournaments, finally received an invite to this event in 2025.
In the women's section, Divya Deshmukh, one year after winning the women's World Cup, is making her debut. The seasoned Koneru Humpy is back again for a third year in a row. All of this is of course layered. One reason why Indian players have become hot properties is because of the demand they have from the paying public. You put them in the playing hall and that's a guaranteed way to ensure bums on seats. "You have the world champion and it's very important to see him here," Madland said. "The fans are very excited to see the Indian players, both in the men and women's sections."
"It's very important, the Indian players. They are some of the best players in the world. A huge nation in chess. For us, it's always been important. Of course they want to see the Indian players, they are very popular. I mean, you have the world champion and it's very important to see him here. The fans are very excited to see the Indian players, both men and women".
On the first day of the tournament, Gukesh, after beating Vincent Keymer in an Armageddon finish, was greeted by an American who had travelled from across the Atlantic to meet him. "I'm very happy to have met him," she said. In fact, she didn't come empty-handed. She handed him a small plush toy and was ecstatic when the Indian agreed to pose with her.
Norway may be a small country in terms of population but there's a sizable Indian diaspora living here (over 20000 per a recent MEA document). Some of them make it a point to watch at least one of the rounds. These are the ways in which you can expand a tournament, potentially when you are eyeing the Indian market when Total Chess World Championship Tour takes off next year.
Madland ruled out the pilot being hosted in India but the buzz is that at least one of the four meets per year will find a permanent place in India (organisers of this tournament are the promoters of the new tour). Keeping all of that in mind, it's just a no-brainer why this particular overseas meet have welcomed Indian players with open arms.