Lots to look forward to in Indian sports as packed 2026 calender awaits
'It is surprising that Pakistan has suddenly taken the decision of not participating in the FIDE Chess Olympiad, particularly after the team has already reached India'.
In the open section too the Indian men were poised for an easy victory against Hungary 'B' team. The hero of the day was Arjun Erigaise who played a brilliant attacking game against Peter Prohazska and ended with a checkmate after a queen sacrifice.
Abundantly talented but more significantly, incredibly cool in crunch situations, that's how India's 88th Grandmaster and World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh was described by her formative coach Srinath Narayanan, who feels the 19-year-old chess wizard's composure is comparable only to cricket great Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
India were handed hosting rights in April when FIDE decided to shift the event outside the original host country, Russia.
Vantika Agrawal delivered when it mattered most as she defeated Grandmaster Irina Krush, helping India secure a 2-2 draw against United States.
India will field three teams each in the Open and women's sections respectively.
It is going to be a festival of chess in India with the 44th Chess Olympiad taking place at Poonjeri village in Mamallapuram also known as Mahabalipuram -- a UNESCO heritage site, situated around 50 kilometres from Chennai.
If a player is strong in defence then he/she should be given training in attack or vice versa.
Koneru Humpy's non-participation in the event has not hampered the team's chances much as Vaishali has jumped significantly in rankings and is a force to reckon with in the women's circle.
Modi also congratulated individual members of the Indian contingent who won board medals. "These are outstanding players who have shown remarkable grit and tenacity. Best wishes for their future endeavours," he said.
The closing ceremony of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad turned out to be a social evening
Teen prodigy Divya Deshmukh stunned seasoned grandmaster Koneru Humpy in a tense tiebreak to win the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, rewriting Indian chess history at just 19.
It has bolstered the home team's medal chances at the 14-day event, which is expected to see massive participation from more than 150 countries.
India hosts the event from a position of unprecedented strength with a string of titles under its belt.
The 44th edition of the prestigious event will witness a record 188 teams in the Open section and 162 in the women's side.
The FIDE World Cup for chess will be held between October 30 and November 27, 2025.
Former women's World champion Susan Polgar feels that the rising strength of Indian players makes them favourites to grab three out of the six medals at stake.
The Indian teams made winning starts in the Open and women's sections of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai on Friday.
The All India Chess Federation (AICF) on Saturday said it will be bidding to host the 44th Chess Olympiad later this year after the prestigious event was moved out of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
FIDE said it will do its utmost to find another organiser for the Olympiad and will provide more information in due time.
With the Indian teams doing well so far, they can run into one another in the competition.
The announcement was made by Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin on his Twitter page
IDE, for the very first time has instituted the torch relay, which is part of the Olympic tradition but was never done in the Chess Olympiad.
'We're already seeing signs of superhuman capability.'
'Winning gold for India was a dream I lived on that rink.'
Anand decided not to participate this time but he will be guiding the Indian team at the showpiece event to be held from July 28 to August 10.
Tania Sachdev on Monday lamented the "lack of recognition" from the government of Delhi, prompting chief minister Atishi to reach out to her
International Master Atanu Lahiri, a former joint secretary, AICF, in a complaint to the Registrar of Societies, Tamil Nadu has urged the initiation of a probe on alleged mismanagement or misuse of AICF funds and even dissolve the chess body if gross violation of its objectives and obligations were found.
India made history as both its men's and women's teams clinched their first-ever gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad. The men's team defeated Slovenia and the women's counterparts overcame Azerbaijan in the final round.
The event is held over 11 rounds in both open and women's categories with likely participation of over 2,000 players.
India and Russia were on Sunday declared joint winners of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet disconnection and server malfunction. This was the first time FIDE, the international chess federation, was holding the Olympiad in an online format, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
India will be fielding three teams each in the Open and women's sections respectively.
AICF officials are in search of the Gaprindashvili Cup that was won by Indian teams at the 44th Chess Olympiad held in Chennai in 2022.
At the end of the 10th round, the Indian Open team is leading the pack with 19 points and the Women's team is ranked second with 17 points.
India 'B' played out a 2-2 draw against Azerbaijan in the 9th round of the open section, while India 'A' and 'C' teams registered identical 3-1 wins in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Chennai, on Sunday.
Praggnanandhaa on Sunday attributed the change in fortune to increased confidence and ambition
rediffGURU Radheshyam Zanwar counsels students about how to pursue a successful career in science, medicine and technology.
National Olympiad Programme in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Astronomy. If you want to apply for the same then here are the details.
Teenaged Grandmaster D Gukesh shocked world number 5 Fabiano Caruana as India 'B' pulled off a superb 3-1 win over number 2 seeds USA in the eighth round of the Open section of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Mamallapuram, Chennai on Saturday.
