'Played chess with champions! Even blindfolded, their moves can checkmate you.'
Erigaisi also requested External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to help him get the visa.
The image of a smiling D Gukesh standing with outstretched hands will forever be embossed in the memory of a nation of billions.
A dream come true, a nice feeling. The maiden Chess Olympiad gold meant different things for the members of the five-strong Indian men's team, spearheaded stupendously by the youngest ever challenger to the world title -- D Gukesh.
Harika Dronavalli, a seasoned player, fulfilled her lifelong dream of winning an Olympiad medal after two decades.
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Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Rameshbabu Vaishali and men's team captain Srinath Narayanan landed Chennai on Tuesday morning.
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.
Five-time world champions Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen played out a draw in the top duel of the opening day as the second edition of the Global Chess League began with players from around the world squaring off in London on Thursday.
Russian chess Grandmaster Boris Spassky, who took French nationality in 1978, was the 10th World chess champion, holding the title from 1969-1972, when he lost it to American Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik in a contest later dubbed as the "Match of the Century".
Anish's emergence comes as India witnesses an exciting era in chess, with young talents like Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and D Gukesh shine internationally.
In 2002, she became the first Indian woman to achieve the GM title, securing her place in chess history. Today, she remains India's top ranked women's player in the country.
India's chess legend Viswanathan Anand was on Sunday elected deputy president of FIDE, the international chess federation, while incumbent president Arkady Dvorkovich was re-elected for a second term.
Chess has applied for inclusion in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a final decision is expected to come next summer.
Former World Rapid Chess champion Koneru Humpy wants the All India Chess Federation to increase women's tournaments.
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.
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa opened his campaign in the FTX Crypto Cup, the American finale of Champions Chess Tour, with a 2.5-1.5 win over the world's top junior player Alireza Firouzja in Miami.
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The 16-year-old top seed was in fine form and remained unbeaten through the nine rounds. He finished the tournament with a victory over fellow-Indian V Praneeth, an International Master, late on Friday.
In a groundbreaking moment for Indian chess, Arjun Erigaisi has become the second player from India and the sixteenth player globally to surpass the 2800 live rating mark.
'Scrapping titles like WIM, WGM and a separate women's category will kill women's interest in chess.'
'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.'
It all started as an extra-curricular activity in school, which later became a life-long passion for D Gukesh and led to him becoming one of the best chess exponents in the world.
World Championship challenger D Gukesh on Sunday said he didn't think about his personal achievements and was prepared to do "whatever it takes" to secure India's maiden gold medal at the Chess Olympiad following near-misses in previous editions.
Arjun also remained unbeaten through all the nine rounds and finished half a point ahead of Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov.
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Thalaiva -- the one and only Rajinikanth -- receives a chessboard from Chess Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa ahead of the 44th International Chess Olympiad in Chennai.
Viswanathan Anand would become the deputy president of the world chess federation (FIDE) if the incumbent Arkady Dvorkovich is re-elected as the president in the elections scheduled during the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai in July-August.
Norway's Magnus Carlsen continues to be the undisputed world No.1 with 2832.5 points, followed by United States' Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura (2802) and country-mate Fabiano Caruana (2798).
Grandmaster and national champion Abhijeet Gupta won the sixth Kavala International chess tournament after playing out a quick draw with Shota Adaladze of Georgia in the ninth and final round in Kavala, Greece.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday.
Surya Shekhar Ganguly and P Harikrishna scored victories to help India post a resounding 3-1 victory over Germany.
Winning three and drawing the remaining six games, Firouzja remained undefeated throughout the event.
Chess governing body FIDE's general assembly agreed to consider lifting parts of a ban on Russian and Belarusian players imposed after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, in a vote on Sunday in Budapest.
Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa visits the Napier bridge at Mamallapuram near Chennai on International Chess Day, July 20, 2022.
Arjun Erigaisi breathed a sigh of relief after receiving his US visa to compete in the upcoming World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York
International Master Tania Sachdev guided India to a creditable draw against top seed Russia while her male compatriots thumped El Salvador to remain in joint lead after the third round of the 32nd Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany. The Indian men's resounding 3.5-0.5 win against El Salvador in the open section kept them in joint lead on six match points along with Russia, Armenia, Germany '1', Spain, Ukraine, Norway, England and Romania.
The men's team comprises Grandmasters D Gukesh, Gujrathi, Erigaisi, P Harikrishna and R Praggnanandhaa.
Anand firmly believes that India has enough talent to produce the next Chess World Champion
