On pure experience of playing big games, Humpy goes in the final as the favourite against compatriot Deshmukh.
The trophy was unveiled during a colourful opening ceremony which was attended by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and FIDE chief Arkady Dvorkovich.
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy won the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 (Pune leg) title on the basis of her superior tie-breaks over Zhu Jiner of China after the two players were tied for the top spot on Wednesday.
Arjun Erigaisi will start as the favourite against veteran Hungarian Peter Leko, while R Praggnanandhaa faces the inventive Daniil Dubov.
R Vaishali also made it to the next round, defeating Ouellet Maili-Jade of Canada in another Indian victory of the day while Divya Deshmukh ousted Kesaria Mgeladze of Georgia.
FIDE World Cup 2025: Praggnanandhaa survives scare; Arjun, Karthik, Harikrishna also draw first game of Rd 4
With Vantika's hard-earned victory there are still five Indians left in the last 32 stage of this US$691,250 prize money event with an additional bonus of making it to the Women's candidates' tournament slated in 2026 for the top three finishers.
India hosts the event from a position of unprecedented strength with a string of titles under its belt.
The opposition party also vowed to expose the "vendetta politics" against its leadership, asserting that the Congress cadre is agitated and is going to show its strength against the "misuse of agencies."
Chess960, created by former world champion Bobby Fischer in 1996, has been gaining in popularity after an invitational tournament played last year at the Weissenhaus Luxury Resort, which hosted the G7 Foreign Minister summit in 2022.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi was knocked out of the FIDE World Cup, losing to Wei Yi of China 1.5-2.5 in the first set of tiebreak games, in Panaji on Wednesday.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand in an all-Indian final to clinch the Jerusalem Masters title in Jerusalem.
The Karnataka Legislative Council passed a bill to curb hate speech, facing strong opposition from BJP and JD(S), who criticized it as 'draconian' and a threat to free speech. The bill proposes jail terms and fines for hate crimes and repeated offenses.
India's second major casualty on the day was Aravindh Chithambaram who lost to compatriot K Venkatramanan after the second set of rapid games.
'...There's nothing to say about the chess aspect... One of those places that you don't feel sad about leaving.'
The Bombay High Court has questioned the police investigation into a land deal, asking why Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son, Parth Pawar, has not been named in the FIR.
The FIDE World Cup will be held at a resort in North Goa from October 31 to November 27, 2025, offering a total prize fund of US$2 million.
Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi was held to a draw by 12-year-old Argentine sensation Oro Faustino in the first game of the second round of the FIDE World Cup in Panjim on Tuesday.
Carlsen accuses FIDE chief of broken promises.
FIDE World Cup: Arjun storms into quarterfinals of the World Cup
Kramnik's comments shameful but where were Naroditsky's friends when he was alive? FIDE CEO
Indian Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi bowed out of the World Chess Cup after a 2.5-3.5 loss to Sam Shankland of United States in the second set of tie-break games of third round, in Panjim on Sunday.
Humpy, Jiner share lead at Pune leg Women's GP
Indian chess stalwarts Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika ended their high-profile contest in a quick draw in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Pune on Friday.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday challenged Home Minister Amit Shah to debate with him on his three press conferences in which the Congress leader alleged 'vote chori' by the Bharatiya Janata Party in collusion with the Election Commission.
Ace Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy once again demonstrated her strength in positional play as she defeated Polina Shuvalova of Russia in the fourth round of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Pune on Thursday.
The Supreme Court has addressed the issue of reservation quotas in Maharashtra local body elections, stating that the final results of elections in 57 local bodies, where the 50% quota ceiling has been breached, will depend on its judgment in the case.
'India is quickly becoming the beating heart of modern chess, and its role as an economic power is more and more visible.'
World champion D Gukesh bowed out of the Chess World Cup, losing the third-round match to Frederik Svane of Germany, while Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa made it to the last-32 stage, in Panjim on Saturday.
Grandmasters Raunak Sadhwani and S L Narayanan, India's two best hopes, were held to draws by Daniel Barrish of South Africa and Steven Salas Rojas of Peru in the first game of the opening round of World Chess Cup, in Panjim, on Saturday.
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen has a new title off the board: father, as he and wife Ella Victoria welcome their first child.
The Supreme Court has directed the Maharashtra government and its state election commission to conduct local body elections, clarifying that the results will be subject to the court's final verdict, especially concerning the 50% quota limit. The court will hear pleas regarding OBC reservation in local bodies in January 2026.
India's Narayanan, Diptayan, Aronyak advance to second round
If a player is strong in defence then he/she should be given training in attack or vice versa.
Experience prevailed over youth as India's Koneru Humpy defeated compatriot Divya Deshmukh and China's Zhu Jiner emerged the sole leader in an eventful third round of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Pune on Wednesday.
Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanandhaa played out solid draws while P Harikrishna wriggled out of a difficult situation to head into a tie-break in the fourth round of the Chess World Cup, in Panjim on Wednesday.
Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh caused the biggest upset of the World Chess Cup, ousting former world championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia after winning the second game of the second round, in Panjim, on Wednesday.
'I'm devastated. This is a massive loss for the world of chess.'
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accept the preliminary objections raised by opposition-ruled states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala to maintainability of Presidential Reference, saying the issues raised in it pertain to the very core and foundational modalities of the constitutional machinery.
Patel stayed unbeaten on the crease in India's innings, scoring 21 off 11 balls to power his side to 167 and then took two wickets, removing Matthew Short and Josh Inglis.
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