Multi-layered problem: Why no Indians made Candidates 2026 via Goa WC

NEW DELHI: Chess-wise, Wednesday was a time of celebration. Edging toward its last month, the twelvemonth produced its 2nd 19-year-old, and youngest-ever, World Cup winner. The first, of course, was India’s ain Divya Deshmukh, who brought location the women’s rubric earlier this year.

The 2nd is Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, a sanction not galore would person pencilled successful portion predicting the line-up for the 2026 Candidates.But with the rubric successful Goa, Sindarov booked the summons for the 2026 Candidates, wherever helium volition effort to gain a changeable astatine D Gukesh’s World Championship title.

Much similar Divya, who had entered the fray arsenic the 15th effect during her career-defining triumph successful Georgia, Sindarov excessively was acold from the favourites.

Remarkably conscionable a time older than Divya, the Uzbek teen began arsenic the 16th effect and capitalised brilliantly connected the knock-out format, stringing unneurotic a imagination tally that yet carried him to the title.Yet beneath the solemnisation laic disappointment and the void of a missed chance.India hosted the World Cup aft 23 agelong years, with a grounds 24 location players successful the field, but not 1 made the apical 3 qualifying spots for the Candidates.

Arjun Erigaisi came the closest earlier bowing retired successful the quarterfinals with a decision to China’s Wei Yi, who finished runner-up.So the question remains: what went incorrect for the Indians?

The format: Friend oregon foe?

Just astir a period back, the travel of the World Cup began with 206 players from crossed the globe. Known for its gruelling 90+30 clip power and consequent accelerated tie-breaks, it’s 1 of the fewer elite events that works wholly connected knockout.

In short: 1 atrocious time and you’re out."FIDE World Cup is simply a benignant of tourney wherever everybody retired of the apical 10 oregon 20 has a 15% accidental of winning," GM Levon Aronian had said earlier the tourney began.The lucifer operation mostly favours the lower-rated player.“It’s conscionable 2 classical games… rather often the sides that are much oregon little not arsenic highly rated volition marque a gully with achromatic and hold for their accidental (with black). Everything tin hap successful 1 azygous game,” Levon precocious told TimesofIndia.com.

Playing with White, a higher-rated subordinate often feels obliged to press, to beryllium an vantage from the archetypal move. But that state tin backfire. In a knockout format, the subordinate with Black tin simply enactment solid, hold for a slip, and abruptly the load shifts. This year, successful some the Women’s and Open World Cups, respective matches hinged connected a azygous crippled wherever White overreached and paid the price.India’s apical seeds weren’t immune. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Pentala Harikrishna, Vidit Gujrathi, and Aravindh Chithambaram, each ranked wrong the apical 25, were knocked retired by lower-rated opponents, and successful each case, the decisive nonaccomplishment came with the White pieces.

Playing astatine home: A curse?

Who doesn't privation to flaunt successful beforehand of the location crowd? The FIDE World Cup gave Indian players a chance. But were they ready?Playing astatine location brings comfort, support, and a precise peculiar benignant of pressure. A roaring assemblage tin uplift but besides suffocate. Expectations aren’t spoken truthful overmuch arsenic felt."Of course, it attracts truthful overmuch pressure, but I deliberation I would've to get into a mindset wherever it doesn't impact my chess," GM Pranesh M told TimesofIndia.com up of the FIDE World Cup.In a athletics wherever calmness is oxygen, affectional wobble tin flip a unchangeable presumption into disaster. Hosting the lawsuit was a milestone for India, but besides a value not everyone carried arsenic well.

Who wanted it more?

Besides the title, branded arsenic the Viswanathan Anand Trophy, 3 Candidates’ spots were up for grabs. With 206 participants, everyone had a realistic accidental of making the Candidates.While the way is wider -- ratings, Grand Swiss, FIDE Circuit -- for apical Indians, others saw the FIDE World Cup arsenic their lone mode into the Candidates.Decades ago, World Championship qualification had 1 winding but wide pathway: nationals, zonals, inter-zonals, past Candidates "The satellite was divided into respective zones, and if you played good successful the interzonal championships, you would thereby suffice for the Candidates Tournament. So determination was 1 azygous transmission done which everybody could qualify," Veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay told this website."Today, if you look astatine it, determination are astatine slightest 500 players beardown capable to go astonishment candidates and look into the past eight. At slightest 500 players are susceptible of doing that if they execute astatine their best.

"But present we person assorted phases and assorted seedings. Some apical players get seeded by rating, portion others get seeded by virtuousness of playing successful Grand Swiss tournaments, which are again restricted lone to precise beardown players."For galore apical Indians, having aggregate routes to Candidates' qualification works arsenic a information net, whereas determination is nary specified happening for others."So a ample number, 5 retired of eight, suffice done these antithetic channels, and lone 3 players suffice done what whitethorn beryllium called the due channel… for a communal player, this is the lone channel. So 1 could accidental that the communal subordinate is much motivated successful this peculiar tournament," the seasoned Grandmaster added.And it was not arsenic if Indians near the tract without a fight; galore showed that hunger. Diptayan Ghosh upset Ian Nepomniachtchi early, portion Pranav V, SL Narayanan, and Harikrishna pushed heavy into the field. But hunger is lone 1 ingredient. Consistency successful chaos is another.

Engine on, creativity gone

There is simply a increasing interest successful the Indian chess fraternity. With trainers and coaches much inclined towards AI and chess engines, the creativity connected the committee is somewhat evaporating."Now everybody has the champion engines and almighty hardware, truthful there’s precise small that separates 1 subordinate from another... Earlier, it wasn’t similar that -- you had to beryllium for hours, enactment done lines, spell deeper yourself. There was ever a skyline effect; aft a fewer moves, the motor stopped seeing clearly," Vidit Gujhrathi told TimesofIndia.com precocious during an exclusive interview."But today, with neural-network-based AI, engines springiness you answers immediately.

So the obstruction to learning openings has dropped significantly. And chess, by its nature, is simply a draw-ish game. If some sides play perfectly, the astir apt effect is simply a draw, possibly 51–49 either way.”And erstwhile a lucifer enters a tie-break, it's anyone's game.

"Are we truly reasoning astir chess? Are we playing originative chess ourselves? Do we cognize wherever we extremity our preparation? Do we really cognize what is to beryllium done next?" Thipsay asked."Otherwise, this mentation has nary value. And you extremity up playing to get a amended presumption according to the engine. And you bash not cognize what the program is to beryllium made. Those who are shrewd and intelligent capable to use this argumentation of preparing good astatine the aforesaid clip find retired what is to beryllium done next."Both successful the Women's World Cup and the men’s successful Goa, those who enactment creativity implicit engines had the past laugh. It possibly leaves a acquisition for the future.And adjacent if the Indian situation faded successful the aerial astatine the Goa World Cup, each anticipation is not lost, with R Praggnanandhaa closing successful connected securing the last Candidates spot disposable done the FIDE Circuit.For India, that would guarantee astatine slightest 1 practice successful the Candidates. The fig could good person been much than one. But arsenic they say, it's what it is.ALSO READ: From ‘surviving connected lone atom and h2o successful Russia’ to superior burnout earlier marriage: Vidit Gujrathi connected beingness arsenic a chess Grandmaster