Russians Volodar Murzin and Alexander Grischuk, along with Duda Jan-Kryzstof of Poland, share the lead with Arjun on seven points after the end of the second day and Round 9 of the championship, which will decide the best player of the planet after 13 games.
World No.1 and challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway beat defending champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 6.5-3.5 after Game 10 ended in a draw at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chennai on Friday.
Divith's journey to the top was a rollercoaster ride, showcasing resilience and tactical brilliance.
They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
Trailing by a full point with just two games remaining, Indian chess ace Viswanathan Anand would desperately need a victory to stay afloat against Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in the World Championship match in Sochi on Sunday.
While only one place seems assured for the Indians in the men's section, there are already three in the women's category who have made it to the Candidates.
World Chess Champion D Gukesh and World Junior Chess Champion Pranav Venkatesh are from the same school and were classmates till Class 10!
Defending champion Viswanathan Anand played out another tame draw as challenger Magnus Carlsen retained his two-point lead after the eighth game of the World Chess Championship.
'Gaju said to me, "If you win the world championship, I'm going to do bungee jumping." I'm personally quite scared of heights, so I don't know why I said, "I'll also join you".'
FIDE files formal complaint with ethics commission against former world champion Kramnik
With her family in tow, Humpy met the PM and described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime privilege."
Defending champion Magnus Carlsen's hopes of retaining his crown he won last year in Chennai got a boost after the tenth game in the World Chess Championship match against challenger Viswanathan Anand ended in a draw after 32 moves in Sochi on Friday. With two rounds to go in the 12-game match, Carlsen, who played with black pieces, leads 5.5-4.5.
India's woman Grandmaster Priyanka Nutakki was expelled from the World Junior Chess Championship being held in Italy currently for having a pair of ear buds in her jacket pocket.
Grandmaster Koneru Humpy held China's Tingjie Lei to a comfortable draw with black pieces, while Divya Deshmukh's solid defence frustrated former women's world champion Zhongyi Tan in the first game of the FIDE Women's World Cup semifinals in Batumi, Georgia, on Tuesday.
World champion D Gukesh and compatriot Arjun Erigaisi delivered in a must-win situation to help PBG Alaskan Knights register their first win in the Global Chess League (GCL) in Mumbai on Thursday.
World champion D Gukesh overcame a loss against Leinier Dominguez Perez to beat the American duo of Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana to stand at fourth spot.
World champion D Gukesh will take on Fabiano Caruana of the United States in the two-game quarter-final after the latter picked the Indian in a unique format typical of Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, in Hamburg, Germany.
The joined statement comes on the back of a recent media report that JioStar, owned by Reliance, has formally informed the ICC of its intention to withdraw from its four-year media rights deal despite two years still remaining on the contract, citing financial losses.
Marcandria Maurizzi registered a last-gasp win over Volodar Murzin on the prodigy board to help defending champions Triveni Continental Kings beat Fyers American Gambits 8-7 and consolidate their position at the top of the leader board in the Global Chess League (GCL) in Mumbai on Saturday.
Anand's post affectionately dubbed Gukesh as the 'boy who would be king'
Gukesh is currently sharing the 8th spot on 1.5 points along with Abdusattorov and Duda.
Norway Chess released a video of 18-year-old Gukesh with a tonsured head, giving it as an offering to Lord Balaji.
The likes of Arjun Erigaisi on the top board will be assisted by P Harikrishna on the second board.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that India is preparing with full strength to host the 2036 Olympic Games.
World junior champion V Pranav of India lost to seasoned Grandmaster Jan Emmanuel Garcia of Philippines in the first round of the Asian Continental Chess Championship.
Team MGD1, with Grandmaster Arjun Erigiaisi playing on the top board, had earlier made it to the 16-team knockout and beaten Generation XYZA 4-0 in the first round.
The youngest-ever world champion, Gukesh Dommaraju will take on Magnus Carlsen, the world's highest-rated player, in a highly-anticipated contest at next year's Norway Chess.
Inspired by the iconic trophy lift of cricket captain Rohit Sharma during the 2024 T20I World Cup in June, the chess players replicated the gesture.
'Most of my birthdays I end up losing the game, so glad it did not repeat in the classical. When I was playing, I felt fine, but when I was losing, I was like, 'ok, not again'.
Uzbekistan's GM Javokhir Sindarov set up a title clash against Chinese GM Wei Yi in the FIDE World Cup in Panaji on Sunday as the two players also confirmed their spots in the Candidates tournament.
Harikrishna continued his success story with the seasoned Grandmaster, who famously assisted Gukesh in the World Championship title match, showcasing his skills as a brilliant attacker.
A clinical performance on the prodigy board by GM Leon Luke Mendonca and a last-gasp victory by Nino Batsiashvili powered Alpine SG Pipers into title contention as they beat Fyers American Gambits 10-4 to register their second consecutive win in the Global Chess League in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old Gukesh's triumph was celebrated far and wide across the country with the PM joining the sports fraternity and others in lauding his incredible achievement.
'On one hand, he is efficient, disciplined, and deeply professional, with his entire team working like clockwork.' 'On the other hand, he is approachable, warm, and often light-hearted -- someone who can crack a joke and make you feel at ease.'
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.
Grandmaster S P Sethuraman continued with his dream run and played out a fighting draw with higher ranked Anish Giri of Holland in the first game of the third round of World Chess Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Magnus Carlsen, the undisputed world number one for over a decade, believes chess ratings today are somewhat "deflated" compared to the past but remains unfazed by the possibility of someone surpassing him.
Having done all the hard work with spectacular results, Indian players would look to hold their nerves in the final dash to finish at the podium in the World Women Chess Team Championships, in Mardin, Turkey.
Back in chess just before the Olympiad after a nearly two-year hiatus, Humpy, who has been among the top women players for a long time, will now have to wait for another two years to have a go at the next world championship cycle.
