R Praggnanandhaa leads a fearless new generation at the Candidates 2026 as veterans face a shifting chess landscape ahead of a world title clash.
Tata Chess: Wesley So in sole lead, Erigaisi & Nihal not far behind in Blitz
Anand moved to joint sixth spot with 2.5 points on a day that saw Firouzja Alireza scoring a sensational victory over super-solid Anish Giri of Holland.
After the draw with Iranian turned French player Firouza, Gukesh has seven points for his sole second spot.
India's Pentala Harikrishna secured two wins on the last day but could only finish second, half a point behind Japanese-American wizard Hikaru Nakamura who lived up to his top billing to clinch the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid tournament, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
With five points in his kitty from eight games, D Gukesh jointly leads the standings with Anish Giri of Holland.
Wesley So showed remarkable consistency to clinch the title in the Open category with a round to spare
World No 3 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, current World Cup winner Levon Aronian and India number two Harikrishna shared the lead with two points apiece.
World champion D Gukesh played out a draw with Jorden van Foreest of Holland, while Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa beat Alexey Sarana of Serbia as the two Indians shared the lead after a thrilling day at the Tata Steel Masters at Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands) on Saturday.
Anand played the Italian game with white pieces but could get little out of opening against Vituigov.
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.
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.
World champion D Gukesh aims for a strong performance at the Prague International Chess festival after an early World Cup exit and underwhelming Tata Steel Masters showing.
Placed fourth after the first leg on Tuesday, the 48-year-old had a dream run on the final day to secure six wins and three draws in the nine rounds to draw level with the world No 3 American Nakamura to force a play-off.
World Champion D Gukesh has taken the joint lead at the Tata Steel Masters chess tournament after defeating his fellow Indian, P Harikrishna.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Thursday
Viswanathan Anand had to be content with a joint third place finish following a draw with compatriot Vidit Gujrathi in the 13th and final round of the Tata Steel Masters, in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherland.
On what turned out to be an easy day, Anand had to stretch himself only a little as Karjakin did not attempt any complicated warfare. The result was exchanging of pieces at regular intervals and the players signed peace in an opposite coloured Bishops endgame.
World Champion D Gukesh lost to Nodirbek Abdusattorov at the Prague International Chess Festival after blundering from a strong position.
The other five games, hard fought, were drawn. World No.1 Magnus Carlsen and Andrey Esipenko trail the leaders by half a point.
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
Aravindh Chithambaram defeated D Gukesh at the Prague International Chess Festival, while Jorden van Foreest maintains his lead in the tournament.
R Praggnanandhaa, the newly-crowned Tata Steel Chess champion, was given a warm reception upon his return to Chennai. The 19-year-old made history by defeating reigning World Champion D Gukesh in the final, marking the biggest win of his career. Fans, officials from the Tamil Nadu government, and the national federation gathered at the airport to welcome the young chess prodigy. Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the Tata Steel Chess title.
Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboe said he didn't respond to Indian GM R Vaishali's handshake gesture because of 'religious reasons'.
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi won Tata Steel Chess Challengers 2018, at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, on Sunday. The victory ensured him qualification for the Tata Steel Masters 2019, where leading chess players from across the world, including World champion Magnus Carlsen, will take part.
Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand gave a fine endgame lesson to young Alireza Firouzja, jumping to joint sixth position at the end of 11th round of Tata Steel Masters, in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, on Saturday. With his second victory, Anand clawed his way back to a fifty percent score and will now hope to end the tournament on a high. At just 16 years, Firouzja is less than one third of Anand's age, and the Indian ace showed that the Iranian still has a lot to learn.
Reigning world rapid champion Viswanathan Anand drew his sixth straight game of the tournament to stay undefeated and have a mid-table placing at number four with three points.
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi believes the government's recent decision to stop cash rewards for attaining GM and International Master titles is 'not ideal' for the parents of chess players.
Erigaisi in second place, German GM Keymer leads after three rounds of Chennai chess
Praggnanandhaa wins UzChess Cup Masters, becomes top-ranked Indian and World No.4
Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa opens up on beating World Champ D Gukesh to win the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands.
Reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway steered clear of the field with another dominating victory over Jan Krzysztof Duda Poland.
Arjun defeats Gukesh as world champion suffers second successive loss in Norway Chess
Uzbekistan's young grandmaster Abdusattorov Nodirbek emerged sole leader in the open section of the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid tournament in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old also created history as he surpassed the legendary Viswanathan Anand to take the No 1 spot among Indian chess players in the live ratings.
Viswanathan Anand believes that this year's world championship can happen in Chennai if R Praggnanandhaa wins the Candidates Tournament
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.
The FIDE World Cup for chess will be held between October 30 and November 27, 2025.
'...it was an awkward situation for both of us. I was in a hurry that day and really forgot. I want to wish good luck to both of you,'
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