Mumbai: After a five- year sabbatical, the Mumbai International Chess Tournament is back, scheduled to be held from June 16 to 24 at the World Trade Centre, Mumbai.Organised by the Indian Chess School, the tournament features an International Open Grandmaster event and an Under-13 tournament, touted as the highest prize money tournament in the World for juniors. Sponsored by Aurionpro Solutions Limited, the tournament carries a Rs 25 lakh prize money for Grandmaster event and Rs 15 lakh for the junior event. The Grandmaster Open has attracted entries from 19 countries with 19 GMs already registered. In the junior event, young chess players from across India and abroad will be competing in four age categories: Under-7, Under-9, Under-11 and Under-13. The junior event has attracted 70 children from six countries, which includes one women international master Oshini from Sri Lanka and six Indian age-group national champions – Aansh Nerurkar, Avirat Chahan, Madhavendra Sharma, Samuel Stephen, Vairaj Sogerwal & Saranya Devi. Grandmaster and Arjna awardee Praving Thipsay said, “The tournament provides a perfect platform for talented players who are on the threshold of entering the domain of chess elites. The huge prize money will also act as an added incentive for them to do well.” “The tournament was held for five uninterrupted years (2016-2020), giving young chess prodigies a platform to rise. But then, the pandemic put a pause on this journey,” said Praful Zaveri, founder of Indian Chess School. Reigning World Champion, 19-year-old, GM Dommaraju Gukesh was the winner in the tournament in 2018 and GM Raunak Sadhwani ranked 50th in the World in the recently released July FIDE Ratings had won the inaugural edition in 2016. GM Pranav Venkatesh after winning the 2nd edition in 2017 is the reigning World junior Champion. Other prominent players who played in these events from 2016 to 2020 and made their mark in international chess include World number 3 GM Arjun Erigaisi, GM Aditya Mittal, GM Leon Mendonca and IM Divya Deshmukh.
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