Delhi to host Commonwealth Chess Championship

NEW DELHI: Several top players, including world's youngest Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi, would be vying for top honours in the Parsvnath Commonwealth Chess Championship to be held here from December 2-10 at the Siri Fort Complex.
    
National Champion Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Asian women's champion Tania Sachdev and Grandmaster Koneru Humpy are the other strong contenders for the hosts in the Rs 8 lakh event. However, Commonwealth Chess Association President and reigning champion Nigel Short though is not likely to defend his title.
    
Many up and coming Indian players will also get a chance in various age categories starting from the under-8 to the under-20.
    
In all, around 12 countries are expected to take part in the 10-round event.
   
"It's hard to predict now, but we are sure that in terms of participation this might be the most successful Commonwealth Chess championship," Delhi Chess Association Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan said.
    
"(Vishwanathan) Anand's success has played a crucial role in making the game more popular in our country, I am sure we will get the highest participation ever from Indian youngsters," he added.