FIDE World Cup 2017: P Harikrishna to take on Cuban Yuri Gonzalez Vidal in first round

Tbilisi: Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna will be raring to go at the FIDE World Cup and book his berth in the 2018 Candidates tournament as he takes on Yuri Gonzalez Vidal of Cuba in his first-round game.

The World No 20 Indian feels that this year the World Cup is going to be a tough outing as it features all the best players around the globe but isn't wary of the challenges he might face during the tournament.

"All the top ranked players from around the world will be participating this year around and I know it is going to be tough," the 31-year-old said.

"As this is a knockout event I would ideally want to take it one match at a time," Pentala Harikrishna added.

The Guntur lad has made a huge impact on the international front in the last year and with his performance at the Biel Chess Festival where he finished third would be a huge morale booster for him. Although he is out of contention for the Grand Prix, this will be his opportunity to secure a spot at the prestigious Candidates' slated for next year.

Harikrishna will look to seize all the opportunities on offer as he looks to script his first win without going into the tie-breaker.

"I am excited that the tournament will start tomorrow and will look to open on a winning note," he said on the eve of his first round.

There will be six other Indians in contention along with Harikrishna, Vishwanathan Anand being the highest rated and accompanying them will be Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Baskaran Adhiban, Deep Sengupta, Sethuraman and Karthikeyan Murali in Georgia.