In the women's section, World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh turned the tables on overnight leader Anna Muzychuk to jump into joint lead with four others.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand recovered from an early setback to register two victories and emerge as joint leader with Nihal Sarin after six rounds of the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid, in Kolkata, on Thursday.
World champion D Gukesh stayed in the hunt with a clinical endgame win in Round 10 of the Tata Steel Masters, while Arjun Erigaisi slipped to another defeat and slid down the standings at Wijk Aan Zee.
There are enough people at the top decision-making level in Tehran who are still willing to negotiate, provided Trump can create the right setting for the negotiation to acquire a dynamic of its own, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan leads the Candidates chess tournament after defeating Fabiano Caruana, while R Praggnanandhaa drew his game against Matthias Bluebaum. In the women's event, Anna Muzychuk joined Bibisara Assaubayeva in the lead.
Indian Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram defeated Jorden van Foreest, while world champion D Gukesh drew against Vincent Keymer at the Prague International chess festival.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa faced a defeat in the third round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament against Javokhir Sindarov, while Fabiano Caruana surged ahead. In the women's event, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the first victory.
R Praggnanandhaa lost his second game in as many days, going down to Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan at the Tata Steel Masters Chess.
Tata Chess: Wesley So in sole lead, Erigaisi & Nihal not far behind in Blitz
Wesley So showed remarkable consistency to clinch the title in the Open category with a round to spare
It may now be time to question the price India is paying for Israel's disregard of the serious undermining of India's energy security, asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
One of the reasons for Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor's break-up was reported as family pressure.
Tata Steel Chess: Anand, Niemann in joint lead after three rounds of Rapid
World Champion D Gukesh drew his fourth game on the trot, signing peace with compatriot and defending champion R Praggnanandhaa while Arjun Erigaisi could not break the defence of Anish Giri and drew for the third day running in the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands.
Magnus Carlsen has won the first FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship, defeating Fabiano Caruana in the final match held in Germany.
D Gukesh ended his winless streak with a victory at the Prague International Chess Festival, while Aravindh Chithambaram finished joint second. Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan won the tournament.
'India's ties with Israel have to do with defence and general technology.' 'The war changes nothing in what India and Israel hope to get from the relationship.' 'It's not as though India will get significantly more benefits from Iran if India abandons Israel at this time.'
World Champion D Gukesh faced a surprising defeat against Jorden van Foreest at the Prague International Chess Festival, while Aravindh Chithambaram drew his game.
Indian Grandmasters D Gukesh and Aravindh Chithambaram had contrasting results in the second round of the Prague International Chess Festival, with Gukesh drawing and Aravindh winning his game.
Alliances fight wars effectively only when they share an endgame. If Israel acted without US knowledge, then the military alliance is operating without real coordination at the level of strategic targeting. Neither picture is reassuring in a war that is no longer regional in its consequences. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
Young Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin emerged champion at the Tata Steel Chess India tournament on Friday, clinching the Rapid title just a day after the passing of his maternal grandfather, who had introduced him to the sport.
India's handling of the Iran crisis reflects a growing strain between strategic autonomy and geopolitical alignment, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
World champion D Gukesh drew with Hans Moke Niemann in the first round of the Prague International Chess Festival.
World champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by David Navara in the fourth round of the Prague International Chess Festival, while Jorden van Foreest took the lead with his third victory.
'To suddenly give the impression of taking a position that is hostile to Iran, or, at least, not friendly to Iran, is not a good thing.'
The 'rescue' operation occurred within kilometres of Iran's underground tunnel complex at Isfahan, assessed by the IAEA and US intelligence as holding a substantial portion of the country's 60 per cent enriched uranium stockpile. Retired senior US military officers have highlighted that the mission's footprint -- hundreds of special operators, multiple heavy-lift aircraft deep inside Iran -- appears outsized for recovering a single airman. Prem Panicker continues his must read blog on the Iran War.
For weeks, the war skirted the edge of catastrophe without tipping over. Missiles flew, there was much destruction, commanders were assassinated, cities across the Gulf and even in Israel struggled to absorb the shock. But one line held: Energy infrastructure, the arteries of the global economy, remained largely untouched. That is no longer true. Prem Panicker continues his must read daily blog on the Gulf War.
The question is no longer whether the war will expand. It has. The next few days will tell us whether the war stabilises around Hormuz or whether the Strait itself becomes the trigger for a far larger rupture. What to watch for over the next 48 hours is simple: Any move by the US toward direct naval control of the Strait; any credible Iranian attempt to disrupt or mine shipping lanes and, critically, whether energy infrastructure in the Gulf continues to be targeted.If those lines are crossed in tandem, the war will no longer be containable within the region.
Tata Steel Masters: Gukesh bounces back with a win against Fedoseev
World Blitz: Erigaisi stuns Carlsen, Abdusattorov to emerge joint leader after 11 rounds
'I suspect that Bangladesh being given permission stuck in India's official craw, and this story was an attempt to balance the scales by giving the impression that a similar waiver had been given to India as well.'
Fight on toward goals that keep receding, or exit with most objectives unmet. Trump is agitated, his poll numbers falling below the Plimsoll line, his base fractured between those who back the war and those who remember that he campaigned on ending them.
Israel and the United States had a plan. Iran punched back. And now the Gulf is reeling, the world is beginning to feel the pain and, as on date, no one in Washington or Tel Aviv appears willing to admit that the punch has landed, notes Prem Panicker, continuing his must-read blog on the war in the Middle East.
World champion D Gukesh resigned on his 37th turn against Germany's Matthias Bluebaum at Tata Steel Masters Chess.
The first 25 years in this century has seen some amazing films and blockbusters in Hollywood. Girish Wankhede lists the top-grossing Hollywood movies from 2001 to 2025, focusing on the key qualities that resonated with Indian audiences and contributed to its appeal.
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.
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.
The two-day World Blitz Championship in both the Open and Women's categories commences in Doha, on Monday, December 29.
Arjun Erigaisi is only the second Indian male player after the legendary Viswanathan Anand to win a World Blitz medal in the 'Open category'.
First game of Wei Yi-Esipenko, Nodirbek-Sindarov semifinals end in a draw
