 "Why D Gukesh pulled out of Tata Steel Chess tournament in Kolkata?")
Reigning world champion D Gukesh will not be participating in the 2026 Tata Steel Chess India tournament, the organisers of the event informed on Friday. Gukesh will be replaced by compatriot Nihal Sarin in the competition that starts January 7 in Kolkata.
The tournament would have been Gukesh’s first of the year but now fans will have to wait for some time before they would be able to see the world champion in action.
Why Gukesh is not playing in Tata Steel Chess
Gukesh, a huge fan favourite, has withdrawn his participation due to unspecified personal reasons.
“Due to personal reasons, D. Gukesh will be unable to participate in Tata Steel Chess India this year,” tournament Director Dibyendu Barua had announced on Friday.
Barua, India second chess Grandmaster, said that Gukesh’s withdrawal will be a big setback for the tournament.
Always enjoyed the excellent hospitality in Kolkatta , fully packed house, huge fan support and extremely strong playing field that makes @tschessindia R&B event very special one!
— Gukesh D (@DGukesh) January 4, 2026
Unfortunately i had to skip this year and will be missing the fun but sure be back for its future… pic.twitter.com/Ssw9SrVJJj
“This is definitely a big setback for the organisers and for the chess fans in Kolkata. All the chess lovers were eagerly waiting to watch Gukesh play in their city as a world champion for the first time," Barua told Indian Express.
“Kolkata is known for its sporting culture, and people here are very enthusiastic about sports. At the same time, there is another tournament scheduled to be held, the Tata Chess Festival, a three-age-group event," Barua added. “Most players were going to participate in this event just to see Gukesh, Viswanathan Anand, and Arjun play together in the tournament," he added.
Tata Steel Chess India is an annual event played since 2018 in the rapid and blitz time control. Magnus Carlsen is the reigning champion of the event but he will not be returning to defend his title.
Tata Steel Chess India line-up
Open: Viswanathan Anand, Wesley So, Wei Yi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Volodar Murzin, Hans Niemann, Vidit Gujrathi, Aravindh Chithambaram, Nihal Sarin
Women: Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, Divya Deshmukh, R. Vaishali., Nana Dzagnidze, Harika Dronavalli, Carissa Yip, Stavroula Tsolakidou, Vantika Agrawal, Rakshitta Ravi
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