The world governing body of chess (FIDE) on Thursday stopped the Candidates tournament in Yekatrinburg, Russia at halfway stage after the hosts decided to ban all flights into and out of the country owing to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The prestigious tournament was stopped after seven rounds. The eighth round was scheduled to be played on Thursday.
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.
Viswanathan Anand proved his true mettle yet again as he outclassed Levon Aronian of Armenia in a long-drawn game in the ninth round of the Candidates Chess tournament in Moscow.
The FIDE World Cup for chess will be held between October 30 and November 27, 2025.
Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand remained in sole lead after a third straight draw, signing peace with Russian Sergey Karjakin in the sixth round of Candidates Chess tournament in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, on Wednesday.
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.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand staged a brilliant comeback by crashing through the defences of Peter Svidler of Russia in the sixth round of Candidates Chess tournament in Moscow.
Jagreet had recently defeated a Grandmaster Blagojevic Dragisa (ELO 2446) from Montenegro.
The FIDE World Cup 2025 is coming to Goa from October 30 to November 27, 2025!
Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan clinched the Tata Steel Masters title with a black-piece victory against out-of-form Arjun Erigaisi while world chess champion D Gukesh emerged as the best Indian with a joint eighth finish as the tournament concluded Wijk Aan Zee on Monday.
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.
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 bowed out of the World Chess Cup after a 2.5-3.5 loss to Sam Shankland of United States in the second set of tie-break games of third round, in Panjim on Sunday.
Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi and P Harikrishna had another good day as they sent veteran Peter Leko of Hungary and Swede Nils Grandelius packing in the fourth-round tiebreaker at the Chess World Cup, in Panaji on Thursday.
Viswanathan Anand avenged his defeat against Sergey Karjakin of Russia and came roaring back in lead.
FIDE World Cup: Arjun storms into quarterfinals of the World Cup
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand ended his campaign with a draw against Peter Svidler of Russia, while another Russian Sergey Karjakin emerged the new challenger for the next World Championship match after the conclusion of the Candidates chess tournament in Moscow.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand played out a draw with Vladimir Kramnik in the fourth round but remained in sole lead to stay in contention in the Candidates chess tournament in Khanty Mansiysk.
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.
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.
R Praggnanandhaa sealed his spot in the Grand Chess Tour finale after finishing runner-up at the Sinquefield Cup.
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand played out a draw with his former challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria to remain joint 3rd after the end of the eighth round of Candidates chess tournament, in Moscow, on Sunday.
'In terms of format, there are constant shifts which is happening. I am not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing, but as a player, I think it is sometimes difficult to adjust to each format.'
India's Viswanathan Anand regained the sole lead with a sparkling victory over former challenger Veselin Topalov from Bulgaria in the ninth round of Candidates Chess tournament in Khanty Mansiysk on Sunday.
'I always prefer to just play a single tournament and go back home, spend time with my family and have a one-month break and then take part in another one.'
Five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand played out an easy draw with black against former World champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria in the second round of the Candidates Chess tournament in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, on Friday.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand played out an easy draw as black against Levon Aronian of Armenia in the second round of the Candidates Chess tournament in Moscow on Saturday.
Divya Deshmukh earned the biggest success of her career by clinching the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup with a tie-break win over compatriot Koneru Humpy.
Former women's World champion Susan Polgar believes Indian chess is riding a wave of success and predicted a bright future for the sport in the country.
Seeking to qualify for the Candidates' event, India's top-rated Arjun Erigaisi walked off with an easy draw with his Chinese counterpart Wei Yi in the first game of the quarterfinals, in Panaji on Monday.
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.
'...There's nothing to say about the chess aspect... One of those places that you don't feel sad about leaving.'
Top seed Arjun Erigaisi scored a convincing victory over compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in the first round of the Tata Steel Masters.
Lots to look forward to in Indian sports as packed 2026 calender awaits
Five-times world champion Viswanathan Anand proved all his critics wrong and won the Candidates Chess tournament after settling for a draw with Sergey Karjakin of Russia in the 13th and penultimate round in Khanty Mansiysk (Russia) on Saturday.
International Master Divya Deshmukh, who is waiting to become a Grandmaster, had a tough day in office as she was outplayed by Zhu Jiner of China in the return game of the pre-quarterfinals in the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup in Batumi, Georgia on Thursday.
Grandmaster R Vaishali was so crestfallen following seven straight losses in the Chennai Grandmasters that she had made up her mind to pull out of the Grand Swiss tournament, but family support steered her to the event where she won the title to qualify for the Candidates next year.
The FIDE World Cup will be held at a resort in North Goa from October 31 to November 27, 2025, offering a total prize fund of US$2 million.
Koneru Humpy edged Chinese GM Lei Tingjie in the tiebreaks in the semis to set up an all-Indian final against compatriot Divya Deshmukh in the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup.
Reigning world chess champion D Gukesh has stated that he is open to competing in all formats of chess, including the newly popular freestyle format, but believes that classical chess, with its rich history, will always hold the greatest significance. Despite concerns of a potential split in the sport between supporters of freestyle and classical chess, Gukesh sees no reason for division, highlighting the excitement of freestyle while acknowledging the importance of the traditional format's legacy.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances