Aravindh Chithambaram first time, Shankland sixth time
The Prague International Chess Festival's most anticipated tournament is awaiting the announcement of its final three participants, here are two of them. American Sam Shankland, 2021 champion, will return after a one-year break to the closed Masters tournament. India’s chances will be strengthened by Aravindh Chithambaram.
Another American representative in the Masters tournament is GM Sam Shankland. The 2018 US champion has been a regular participant of the festival since the first year. He is returning after a one-year break to recall highlights such as his Masters 2021 victory or tied 3rd place in 2022.
Aravindh Chithambaram – this name is not yet as well-known or widely discussed in the chess world as Praggnanandhaa or Gukesh, but the recent results of this 25-year-old Indian GM foresee a change. Aravindh broke the 2600 ELO mark as soon as in January 2018 but had to wait for further progress for five years. However, last year brought the long-awaited breakthrough, as the Indian GM crossed the 2700 mark in July. He ended the year with a valuable victory at the prestigious Chennai Grand Masters, defeating Levon Aronian and Arjun Erigaisi in the finale tie-break.
There are less than two months left until the 7th year of the festival (February 25 to March 7, 2025). We send a warm invitation to every fan to visit the Don Giovanni Hotel Prague and remind those contemplating participation that the Open and rating tournaments registrations are currently in full swing.