Bengaluru: The chess world is abuzz with the upcoming Candidates tournament, where a new generation of players is vying for the chance to challenge reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
Former world No. 2 and five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand believes that this is the time for players like Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Anish Giri to shine.
Caruana, the only player to have come close to the world title, is the outright favourite on sheer strength and pedigree, but Aronian believes that this is a chance for the old guard to walk into history.
With Gukesh struggling with his form and results, the possibility of beating him is considered to be much higher than beating the unstoppable Magnus Carlsen.
The tournament features two ambitious 20-year-olds, R Praggnanandhaa and Javokhir Sindarov, but Aronian has little doubt about where his loyalties lie.
