Prague (Czech Republic), February 24 After an early exit from the World Cup and a disappointing performance at the Tata Steel Masters, world champion D Gukesh will be looking for a turnaround when he leads India's challenge at the Prague International Chess Festival, which begins here on Wednesday.
Seeded second in a young and elite field, Gukesh will face strong competition from top-seeded German Vincent Keymer and Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who are currently performing better than him, based on recent results.
Keymer, ranked fourth globally in live ratings, is just ahead of Abdusattorov, while Gukesh, ranked 10th, is the highest-rated Indian.
It was not long ago when there were as many as three Indians in the top-10, but Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa have both recently dropped down, allowing Gukesh, who has been consistent despite not being at his best, to become the new number one in live rankings.
Alongside Gukesh, defending champion Aravindh Chithambaram will also be competing. This event gave the Chennai-based player his first major breakthrough.
Abdusattorov, fresh from his maiden triumph at the Tata Steel Masters, is the favorite to add another title, while Keymer is expected to give everyone a tough fight.
Hans Niemann of the USA is another player that everyone will be looking to defeat, as he has repeatedly proven his detractors wrong.
Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran is also present, trying to establish himself in top-level chess, while Dutch Grandmaster Jorden van Foreest will be the consistent player despite his relatively low performance in strong tournaments.
Seeded seventh is Chithambaram, who will be aiming to return to the 2700 rating club after a subpar performance at the Tata event. Chithambaram faces a challenging task here.
Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan, David Anton Gujjaro of Spain, and local star David Navarra complete the 10-player line-up for the nine-round Masters competition.
In the challengers section, Surya Shekhar Ganguly will lead the Indian challenge alongside Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh.
Benjamin Gledura of Hungary starts as the top seed in this section, ahead of Jonas Buhl Bjerre of Denmark.