Grandmasters P. Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi have received confirmation from the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to be part of the World Cup beginning in Sochi from July 10.
Harikrishna and Vidit, ranked 20 and 22, gained the berths that fell vacant owing to the withdrawal of the seeded players.
The confirmation from FIDE also helped All India Chess Federation nominate B. Adhiban — the highest ranked Indian after Viswanathan Anand, Harikrishna and Vidit — for the World Cup.
In all, FIDE allows 91 countries to nominate a player each apart from those already qualified.
Anand gives it a miss
Anand, a two-time champion who enjoyed a direct seeding, will not participate.
As a result, in the 206-player men’s field, India will be represented by P. Harikrishna, Vidit, Adhiban, Aravindh Chithambaram and P. Iniyan. An additional ‘wild card’ entry cannot be ruled out. In the 103-player women’s section, as reported earlier, it will be K. Humpy, D. Harika, Padmini Rout, Bhakti Kulkarni and P. Vaishali.
The squad will be accompanied by two trainers, GMs Abhijit Kunte and N. Srinath.
Players like Harikrishna, Vidit, Humpy and Harika are likely to get a first-round bye. The on-board action commences on July 12.
