WIJK AAN ZEE, the Netherlands, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 Tata Steel Chess Tournament began on Saturday in Wijk aan Zee, a coastal town in the North Holland Province of the Netherlands.
Chinese player Ding Liren, who won his first world title in April 2023, drew with Vidit Santosh Gujrathi from India in the first round.
Women's world champion Ju Wenjun, also from China, and junior world champion Marc'Andria Maurizzi of France are also present. Dutch player Anish Giri is defending his title.
It marks the first time that three reigning world champions are competing at the tournament, which will last till January 28, according to tournament director Jeroen van den Berg.
There are four female players in this tournament, which never happened before in the current format of the tournament. Ju Wenjun plays in the Masters. Harika Dronavalli and Divya Deshmukh from India and Dutch talent Eline Roebers will compete in the Challengers.
Of the 14 participating grandmasters in the Masters, seven are top 20 players.
Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen is missing the tournament due to a conflicting schedule with several other tournaments, according to Van den Berg.
The Challengers tournament also has a strong field of players from the top 100 in the world. Five competitors are under 20 years old, including 16-year-old Maurizzi. ■
