Tata Steel Chess 2025 Guide: Indians In Action, Schedule, Format – All You Need To Know

One of the key talking points heading into the tournament is Gukesh Dommaraju's first appearance since becoming the new and the youngest chess world champion in Singapore last month.

After securing the World Championship title in December in Singapore, Gukesh withdrew from the World Rapid and Blitz tournament in New York.

Many were hoping for a face-off between the world's top-rated Magnus Carlsen of Norway, and Gukesh. However, Carlsen will miss the tournament once again, as will third-ranked Hikaru Nakamura of the United States, who has focused more on online formats and his work as a YouTuber and Twitch expert.

This edition is particularly significant for India, as five Indian players will be participating in the 'Wimbledon of Chess' for the first time as masters. The pairings will be revealed at the opening ceremony on Friday.

The challengers section will also feature two Indian women, both with impressive achievements over the past year. Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu will return to action alongside International Master Divya Deshmukh, both of whom were part of the gold medal-winning women's team at the Chess Olympiad.

Only one Indian has won the tournament, and that is the legendary Viswanathan Anand. With such strong Indian players now in the fray, it will be a great opportunity for India to claim victory.

Tata Steel Chess 2025: Indians In Action

GM Arjun Erigaisi (2801), GM Gukesh Dommaraju (2777),  GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (2741),  GM Pentala Harikrishna (2695), GM Leon Luke Mendonca (2639), IM Divya Deshmukh (2490), GM Vaishali Rameshbabu (2476).

World number four, Erigaisi starts as the highest-rated Indian in the fray backed by his superb performances in 2024, which also made him the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to cross the 2800 ELO-rating mark.

Tata Steel Chess 2025: Format

The Tata Steel Chess Tournament follows a 14-player round-robin format. The time control is set at 100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, and 15 minutes for the remainder of the game.

Players also receive a 30-second increment per move from the first move. Wins earn 1 point, draws earn ½ point, and losses result in 0 points.

Tata Steel Chess 2025: Full Line Up

Masters According To Seeding -

Fabiano Caruana (USA); Arjun Erigaisi (Ind); D Gukesh (Ind); Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb); Wei Yi (Chn); R Praggnanandhaa (Ind); Vincent Keymer (Ger); Anish Giri (Ned);  Vladimir Fedoseev (Slo); P Harikrishna (Ind); Jorden van Foreest (Ned); Alexey Sarana (Srb); Leon Luke Mendonca (Ind).

Challengers: Nguyen Thai Van Dan (Cze); Frederic Svane (Ger); Nodirbek Yakubboev (Uzb); Edil Gurel (Tur); Adyin Suleymanli (Aze); Erwin L'Ami (Ned); Bok Benjamin (Ned); Kazybek Nogerbek (Kaz); Divya Deshmukh (Ind); R vaishali (Ind); Arthur Pijpers (Ned); Oro Faustino (Arg); Mioyi Lu (Chn); Irina Bulmaga (Rom).

The Masters section of the tournament will feature a competitive field of 14 players, including the reigning champion, Wei Yi.

Tata Steel Chess 2025: Schedule

The tournament will consist of 13 rounds, starting with Round 1 on 18 January and ending with Round 13 on 2 February 2025. Points will be awarded for wins, draws, and losses.

Tata Steel Chess 2025: Live Streaming

The 2025 Tata Steel Chess Tournament could be live-streamed on the official or their . However, the broadcast details for India have not been released yet.