Every sport in the world went on a sabbatical with the outbreak of Covid-19. With Cricket, Football, Golf and many other sports are coming back to action one by one. Chess to have joined the league of going back on its feet.
Indian chess grandmaster P Harikrishna will take part in the 53rd Biel International Chess Festival, to be held in Switzerland on July 18.
The event marks the sport's return to the board. Also, it features former world no.4, Michael Adams and Radoslaw Wojtaszek.
The world no.26 from India received an invitation to participate in the prestigious tournament a few days ago and replaces compatriot Vidit Santhosh Gujrathi, the winner of the 2019 edition.
"I am very happy to receive the invitation for the tournament. It is the first over the board event for me after playing online tournaments for a while due to the coronavirus," Harikrishna, who has played previously in the Biel Chess Festival in 2014 and 2017.
He said he was preparing for the event keeping in mind the situation wherein things can change at the last minute.
Harikrishna won the 2013Masters Open in Biel. The tournament, which concludes on July 29, will feature prominent names like Radolsaw Wojtaszek, Michael Adams, Anton David and Salem Saleh. Vidit Gujrathi had won the Grandmasters event at the Biel Chess Festival last year.
The Biel event has over the years attracted some of the biggest names in the sport and among the winners are Harikrishna's compatriot and former world champion Viswanathan Anand, the current world No.1 Magnus Carlsen and Russian legend Anatoly Karpov among others.