Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa to lead World Youth Chess Championships

This picture is used for representation purpose

India's second-youngest Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa will be among the main attractions when the World Youth Chess Championships will take place in Powai from October 1 to 13.

Over 400 participants from 62 countries are expected to take part in various categories (girls and boys) in the prestigious tournament, which India will host for the first time.

Nagpur's Divya Deshmukh will lead India's challenge in the girls' competition.

"We have confirmed 235 foreign players and the Indian participation is one-third of that. But some of the countries will send their list of participants later. So, it [total number of participants] will be 400 to 450. As of now, 62 countries have confirmed their participation including chess powerhouses such as the USA, Canada and Russia," Tournament Director Ravindra Dongre told reporters during a press conference in the city on Saturday.

The tournament, which was originally scheduled to be played in Nagpur, moved to Mumbai due to logistic reasons.

Also Read: Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand onboard ChessKid's India edition to mentor kids

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates