World champion D Gukesh is set to face Nihal Sarin in a highly anticipated first-round match at the Chennai Grand Masters 2026 chess tournament. The event features eight Grandmasters, including four Indians, competing for a prize purse of Rs 75,00,000 and crucial FIDE Circuit points in a double-round robin format.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin, representing esports and gaming content outfit S8UL, has qualified for the chess event of the upcoming Esports World Cup in Paris.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has qualified for the chess event of the upcoming Esports World Cup (EWC) in Paris through the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) leaderboard, joining teammate Aravindh Chithambaram as the second Indian player to qualify.
GM M Pranesh secured a significant victory over world champion D Gukesh, while GM Nihal Sarin defeated Arjun Erigaisi in the penultimate round of the Chennai Grand Masters. These results allowed French GM Alireza Firouzja to take the sole lead in the tournament.
India is sending a strong contingent, including world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, and R Vaishali, to the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand from September 16 to 27.
Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra and Grandmaster Nihal Sarin have voiced concerns over the ongoing NEET exam irregularities and student suicides. Bindra called for a transparent and merit-based education system, while Sarin highlighted the immense pressure students face. The protests, supported by activist Sonam Wangchuk, have seen students attempting to march to Parliament.
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja secured the only decisive victory on the opening day of the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament, defeating Indian GM M Pranesh in a lengthy 79-move game. Other prominent matches saw world champion D Gukesh draw with Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi draw with Dmitry Andreikin, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov draw with Hans Niemann, as eight grandmasters compete for a significant prize purse and FIDE Circuit points.
Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi has moved into a joint lead with French GM Alireza Firouzja at the Chennai Grand Masters after defeating world champion D Gukesh. With only two rounds remaining, the tournament sees intense competition, including GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov also in contention, vying for a significant prize purse and FIDE Circuit points.
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja defeated reigning world champion D Gukesh in a 69-move battle at the Chennai Grand Masters 2026, taking the sole lead after the second round. Indian players M Pranesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and Nihal Sarin all secured draws against their respective opponents in the prestigious tournament.
Frenchman Alireza Firouzja has won the fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament, securing the title with a draw against Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi in the final round. Firouzja finished with 4.5 points, taking home a prize purse of Rs 25 lakh.
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja holds a half-point lead over India's Arjun Erigaisi after all matches in Round 4 of the Chennai Grandmasters 2026 chess tournament concluded in draws. World champion D Gukesh also drew his game, while chess legend Viswanathan Anand interacted with fans at the event.
Wesley So showed remarkable consistency to clinch the title in the Open category with a round to spare
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.
Assam emerged as the fastest-growing large state with a remarkable 17.3 per cent nominal GDP CAGR over five years.
Nihal Sarin lit up Round 4 of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 with a hard-fought win over compatriot Arjun Erigaisi
Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov has won the Candidates Chess Tournament, earning the right to challenge India's D Gukesh for the World Chess Championship title in 2026.
World Champion D Gukesh believes concerns about cheating in chess are overblown and distances himself from Vladimir Kramnik's accusations. He also looks ahead to the Candidates Tournament.
Tata Chess: Wesley So in sole lead, Erigaisi & Nihal not far behind in Blitz
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.
The government's Budget announcements providing tax holiday for data centres, setting up of city economic regions (CERs) and funding to improve infrastructure in Tier-II and -III cities may give an indirect boost to India's realty sector, said industry executives.
Tata Steel Chess: Anand, Niemann in joint lead after three rounds of Rapid
Russian chess great Vladimir Kramnik has sued world chess governing body FIDE for defamation in a Swiss civil court after he became the subject of an inquiry for allegedly harassing players.
Kerala teenager Krishna Goutham shares the lead with World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, top Indian exponent Arjun Erigaisi, and Vladislav Artemiev.
Humpy settles for bronze after coming close to World Rapid title; Erigaisi finishes third
India's second major casualty on the day was Aravindh Chithambaram who lost to compatriot K Venkatramanan after the second set of rapid games.
Divya Deshmukh not only became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women's World Cup, she also instantly secured the prestigious Grandmaster title.
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.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced a significantly relaxed dress code for next month's World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha, "allowing classic non-distressed jeans for both men and women", a year after the 'jeansgate' storm involving Magnus Carlsen at the same event.
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.
World champion D Gukesh's struggles continued as he slumped to a third successive defeat, losing to 16-year-old Turkish Grandmaster Ediz Gurel in the seventh round of the FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Thursday.
Grandmaster Nihal Sarin played out a quick and effortless draw with Matthias Bluebaum of Germany to share the lead with the German on six points after the end of the eighth round of FIDE Grand Swiss in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday.
Kramnik's comments shameful but where were Naroditsky's friends when he was alive? FIDE CEO
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin's hopes of making to the Candidates tournament suffered a setback as he lost to Alireza Firouzja of France in the ninth round of the FIDE Grand Swiss, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Saturday.
FIDE files formal complaint with ethics commission against former world champion Kramnik
German GM Vincent Keymer stayed firmly in command of the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters 2025 after holding India's GM Vidit Gujrathi to a second straight draw in Round 5 on Monday.
World Champion D Gukesh suffered his second straight defeat at the FIDE Grand Swiss, losing to Greece's Nikolas Theodorou in the sixth round in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
Erigaisi in second place, German GM Keymer leads after three rounds of Chennai chess
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 champion D Gukesh and Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh played out an intense 103-move draw after a gruelling six-hour battle, in the eighth round of the FIDE Grand Swiss.
India hosts the event from a position of unprecedented strength with a string of titles under its belt.
