This year’s Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz chess tournament has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers said here on Wednesday.
World champion Magnus Carlsen won the tournament last year which was a part of the Grand Chess Tour and had featured 10 Grandmasters, including India’s Viswanathan Anand.
“In view of the pandemic and to ensure safety and well-being of chess enthusiasts and sports fraternity at large, we have taken a considered view of cancelling the tournament this year,” Chanakya Chaudhary, vice-president corporate services, Tata Steel, said.
Local organisers Gameplan Sports Private Limited said they would look forward to bring back the tournament in 2021.
