Grand Chess tour: Magnus wins Super United Rapid and blitz with a round to spare
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.
Reigning World champion Dommaraju Gukesh's roller-coaster ride continues. The Indian Grandmaster suffered defeat in an Armageddon tie-break and slipped to tied-fifth place, while Arjun Erigaisi upset American world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura to maintain fourth position in the Norway Chess tournament.
Magnus Carlsen didn't hide behind the veneer of niceties and asserted that he was here to win the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship, and that fatherhood or the emergence of youngsters hadn't diminished his hunger for success.
'Scrapping titles like WIM, WGM and a separate women's category will kill women's interest in chess.'
Reigning world champion D Gukesh continued to turn adversity into opportunity as he wriggled out of a virtually intractable position to beat compatriot Arjun Erigaisi for the first time ever in a classical game and jump to sole second position after round 7 of the Norway Chess.
Many fans hadn't even bothered to change their Team India jerseys with which they watched the match. A few wanted to carry on the stadium atmosphere into the train singing songs like Chak De India and Vande Mataram. They played them so loudly and ensured no one got a wink of sleep. Of course, the main topic of discussion was Sanju Samson.
Whenever he has played a match-winning knock, the pride in Malayalees travels faster than the fastest delivery in world cricket.
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.
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.
'This introduction that has now been in place for sometime could well give that additional flavour for the chess players as they will be able to guess the pressure that a certain player is feeling during the course of a game.'
India's Narayanan, Diptayan, Aronyak advance to second round
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.
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.
The sight of the Tricolour fluttering in the stands sharpens the resolve of the players. It feels as though the flag has been stitched out of the hopes and heartbeat of Indian fans.
'I have no idea about such a medal. Never got one,' says Surya Shekhar Ganguly, the national chess champion between 2003 and 2008.
Gukesh is currently sharing the 8th spot on 1.5 points along with Abdusattorov and Duda.
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.
The mood shifted the moment someone said, 'Akshay sir is outside.' And there he was, not in a tailored suit under dramatic lighting, but in casual, loose-fitting shirt and track pants, and sneakers, smiling like a college kid. Mayur Sanap reports from the Wheel Of Fortune set.
The image of a smiling D Gukesh standing with outstretched hands will forever be embossed in the memory of a nation of billions.
'Right now, I'm happy with the game that I played today. Tomorrow (Friday), hopefully, another good game I can play. And whatever the result will be, we'll see later. But yeah, just focusing on playing the game.'
'It will bring the next wave of awareness and pursuit of excellence from people who want to take chess as a game or a competitive sport or even as a career.'
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is seeking an expedited trial against Congress leader P Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis and INX Media money laundering cases, having submitted the required prosecution sanction to the court.
The tie-breaker, which will be a series of shorter-duration games, will be played on Monday to determine the winner.
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.
D Gukesh did not last long against Fabiano Caruana in a must-win tie with the American winning in a mere 18 moves.
Magnus Carlsen feels he's still better than the young generation of chess players, but the Norwegian great is ruling out a comeback at the classical world championship.
India has a bright future in chess as we have many players in top 10 rankings: Humpy
World champion D Gukesh finished last after losing to Iranian-French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja in the second game of their seventh place play-off match at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam.
With her family in tow, Humpy met the PM and described it as a "once-in-a-lifetime privilege."
'...There's nothing to say about the chess aspect... One of those places that you don't feel sad about leaving.'
Nagalakshmi's presence at the Chess tournaments has been a source of inspiration for many. Her unwavering support for her children, even during the most challenging moments, has been instrumental in their success.
This is the one of the strongest line-ups in a chess tournament ever, with four of them with a rating over 2800.
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.
Reigning World champion D Gukesh finally got his revenge on Magnus Carlsen as he pounced on a blunder by the World No 1 to defeat him for the first time in a classical game.
The Prime Minister shared highlights of their interaction on his social media, praising Gukesh's determination, dedication, and humility.
Lots to look forward to in Indian sports as packed 2026 calender awaits
Grandmaster Vantika Agrawal outclassed Lela Shohradeva of Turkmenistan in the return game of the first round to progress to the round of 64 of FIDE World Women's Chess Cup.
World Champion D Gukesh began his campaign at the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour with a mixed bag of results, including three draws and a lone loss, signaling that he is adapting to the new format.
