Delhi International Chess Tournament draws record participation

NEW DELHI: In a record feat, over 1400 players will participate in the 14th edition of the Delhi International Chess Tournament starting at the Ludlow Castle Sports complex here tomorrow.

The players will fight it out in three categories in the Rs 35 lakh prize money tournament.

The premier 10-round event has drawn world class players like Boris Grachev of Russia, who will start as the top seed in the 'A' group.

The Indian challenge will be spearheaded by Grandmaster and former Commonwealth Champion M R Lalith Babu, who starts as the 10th seed in a star-studded field comprising 21 Grandmasters and 20 International Masters in a field of around 190 participants, as of now.

The 'B' group that starts alongside the main event has 523 participants while the 'C' group remains the biggest draw with 800 entrants.

With entries still pouring in at the last minute, the organisers are sure to cross the 1600 mark, which is a shade more than those who participated last year.

The 'A' group also gives opportunities for players to get international title norms and there are ample title holders to facilitate the norms of candidates who perform well. There are more than a handful of Indian talents here vying for their respective title norms.

"This remains as good an opportunity for any chess player in our country as well as abroad as it was when we started this event. Having started with a meagre prize fund of Rs. 3.5 Lakhs in 2002, the tournament prize fund has grown 10 times in 14 editions," the president of Delhi Chess Association, Bharat Singh Chauhan said in a statement.