The 2019 Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz was the first Grand Chess Tour event ever to be held in Asia. It was added to the tour after running as an independent tournament in 2018 as was a huge hit. Last year, Hikaru Nakamura won the rapid segment while the home town favorite Viswanathan Anand recorded a memorable victory in the blitz. They are both back with this year's tournament, now part of the Grand Chess Tour. The player field has also gotten stronger with this year's competition, with the inclusion of no less than Magnus Carlsen.