World champion Magnus Carlsen, United States king Wesley So, and speed chess star Hikaru Nakamura head familiar faces competing in the New In Chess Classic starting Saturday, April 24.

They will be challenged by regular Champions Chess Tour (CCT) participants and several young talents out to show their mettle in rapid play.

Indian sensation R Praggnanandhaa and the world’s top junior Alireza Firouzja are in the 16-man roster along with Norwegian prospects Aryan Tari and Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, making the chase for the $30,000 top purse and ranking points in the fifth leg of the CCT interesting.

Like the 15-year-old Praggnanandhaa, ruler of the recent Polgar Challenge, Tari and Christiansen, Gawain Jones of the United Kingdom will be making his debut appearance in the $1.5 million (P72 million) CCT.

The Filipino-born So, now a US citizen, leads the overall points race as well as in earnings following victories in the first leg (Skilling Open) and third leg (Opera Euro Rapid), a quarterfinal finish in the second leg (Airthings Masters), and a fourth-place effort in the Magnus Carlsen Invitational.

Though Carlsen has yet to win a leg, he is right behind So and well ahead of Airthings Masters winner Teimour Radjabov in the CCT standings.

So, who is providing the cash prizes for the GM Wesley So Cup set next month in the Philippines, Carlsen, and Nakamura are expected to barge into the playoffs with Alireza, Radjabov, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Levon Aronian, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Leinier Dominguez, Sergey Karjakin, and Le Quang Liem battling for the other 5 slots.

Le, the 2013 world blitz king and formerly So’s top rival in Southeast Asia, failed to qualify in his first try in the Skilling Open and is eager to prove his worth in the three-day round-robin elimination round.

For Praggnanadhaa, Tari, and Christiansen, it’s time to find out where they stand among the world’s elite. – Rappler.com