Five Indian players are competing in the tournament: Vaishali Rameshbabu and Koneru Humpy, Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa R, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, and Gukesh D in the Open category, all of whom are teenagers.The visas for every Indian player in a significant international chess tournament that will take place in Toronto, Canada in April have been approved. Three foreign players and an official are still awaiting their visas, so its still unclear if Toronto will host the event.FIDE CandidatesThe Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE), the organization that organizes the 2024 Candidates Tournament, has set April 3–23 as its dates. The FIDE Candidates, which are billed as the most prestigious tournament in the chess world, will choose the contenders for the World Champion title in the Open and Womens Categories.Chess Federation of CanadaThe Chess Federation of Canada President, Vladimir Drkulec, verified that each of them, as well as those traveling with them and other Indians including FIDE Deputy President and former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, have had their visas approved and would be able to participate.Drkulec explained that three of the ten visas that are still pending are for players who will be competing, and one is for an official. These will be required in order to host the tournament in Toronto. There is probably a 50% chance of succeeding. He conveyed he will receive more information on the same in the coming days. Drkulec stated that the situation needs to be resolved by Friday at the latest.What is pendingDrkulec stated that only ten visas remain to be approved. That list does not contain any Indians. Though a positive step, the Indian players visa permits wont matter if other players applications are denied because the competition will then be held in Spain.FIDE posts appeal:Urgent visa appeal to the Canadian Government regarding the FIDE Candidates TournamentThe most prestigious tournament in the chess world, the FIDE Candidates, which will determine the challengers for the World Champion title in both the Open and Womens Categories, is set to… pic.twitter.com/uZSDuomkNX— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) March 1, 2024FIDE recently posted an urgent appeal in this regard on X, tagging Canadas Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller as well as his department. At the time, FIDEs director general Emil Sutovsky stated that they would not be replacing players due to visa issues, and would not be postponing the event. With 16 of the best players in the world competing, this will be the first time the nearly 70-year-old competition is hosted by North America.
