Anand the cynosure in strong field at Kolkata rapid and blitz

“It was exhausting not playing,” said Viswanathan Anand explaining his return to competition in the Tata Steel Chess India, a tournament he has fronted as brand ambassador, after six years.

- Dhiman Sarkar

“I do play a number of strong tournaments regularly, so, I thought, why not this,” he said.

Anand, 56, opens against Wesley So in the seventh edition that begins here on Wednesday. So is ranked 14th in the world, three slots below the five-time former classical format world champion from India.

So was third in the rapid competition in 2024 when the tournament was last held. It could not be accommodated in the 2025 calendar largely because of the World Cup in Goa (October 30-November 27, 2025).