STORY: Top players kick off first round at Tata Steel Chess Tournament
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 19, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 20, 2025
LENGTH: 0:00:59
LOCATION: WIJK AAN ZEE, the Netherlands  
CATEGORY: SPORTS 

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the tournament

STORYLINE:

Top players from the Masters and Challengers divisions of the 87th Tata Steel Chess Tournament began their first round of play on Saturday in Wijk aan Zee, a coastal town in North Holland province of the Netherlands.

This year's Masters tournament features five of the world's top 10 players. Among them is the newly crowned world champion, India's Dommaraju Gukesh, who fell to China's Wei Yi in last year's final.

"Last year, when I participated in the competition, I already felt that the players were very strong," Wei told Xinhua. "This year, the overall level of the players seems even higher and the lineup is even more competitive."

"That said, I aim to deliver my best performance," said Wei.

Previous champions Fabiano Caruana (USA), Anish Giri and Jorden van Foreest (both from the Netherlands) will also compete for the coveted title.

The Challengers tournament showcases emerging talents, including reigning junior world champion Kazybek Nogerbek (Kazakhstan) and Divya Deshmukh (India). Other notable participants are 11-year-old prodigy Faustino Oro from Argentina, 14-year-old Lu Miaoyi from China, and 16-year-old Ediz Gurel from Türkiye.

The tournament officially commenced on Friday evening when hundreds of amateurs started their first round of play. The tournament will run until Feb. 2, 2025.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands.
(XHTV)