Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta and USA's Vaidyanathan Kannan are joint leaders after the third round of the Pune International Grand Master Round Robin Event, both tied at 2.5 points. The round saw several draws and an upset victory.
India's Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured a crucial victory against Dutchman Jorden Van Foreest in the fourth round of the Sinquefield Cup.
Seventeen Indian sportspersons, including World Cup winning chess player Divya Deshmukh, decathlete Tejaswin Shankar, and shuttler Gayatri Gopichand, have been named for the prestigious Arjuna Award for 2025.
French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja secured the only decisive victory on the opening day of the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament, defeating Indian GM M Pranesh in a lengthy 79-move game. Other prominent matches saw world champion D Gukesh draw with Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi draw with Dmitry Andreikin, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov draw with Hans Niemann, as eight grandmasters compete for a significant prize purse and FIDE Circuit points.
'India should hold several high-level chess tournaments that would attract the world's top players so that the country will have a say in the game.'
Former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand has been appointed Interim President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) after incumbent Arkady Dvorkovich voluntarily stepped aside due to his inclusion in the European Union's sanctions list.
Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta secured the championship at the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin Chess Tournament. International Master Aswath S finished as runner-up, achieving his final Grandmaster norm to become India's 98th Grandmaster. Kushagra Mohan took third place, while Advik Agarwal earned his second International Master norm.
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi discusses D Gukesh's mental strength challenge for his World Championship defence against Javokhir Sindarov, highlighting Gukesh's recent inconsistent form. Vidit also assesses India's strong prospects for the upcoming Chess Olympiad, praising the form of players like Praggnanandhaa, Erigaisi, and Sarin, while cautioning against overconfidence. He also reflects on his Arjuna Award and the need for better organisation in chess formats.
World champion D Gukesh is 'crumbling under the weight of expectations' and needs to 'shut out the noise' to regain his form ahead of his title defence, said American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. Nakamura also revealed that the 2028 Chess Olympiad could potentially be his last tournament featuring 'true classical' chess.
Ten-year-old Indian chess prodigy Aarit Kapil has secured his second International Master (IM) norm at the Rudar GM Closed Tournament in Serbia. With impressive victories against strong opponents and a current lead in the tournament, Aarit is now just one norm away from achieving the coveted IM title, showcasing his exceptional talent on the international stage.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has qualified for the chess event of the upcoming Esports World Cup (EWC) in Paris through the Champions Chess Tour (CCT) leaderboard, joining teammate Aravindh Chithambaram as the second Indian player to qualify.
Indian Grandmaster Iniyan Pa has won the Masters category of the Global Chess Festival, dominating the tournament from start to finish. The 24-year-old national champion secured the title in his debut appearance, earning a prize purse of Rs 8 lakh. Nithin Babu and Madhvendra Pratap Sharma also triumphed in the Challenger and Junior Master categories, respectively, qualifying for next year's Masters event.
Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta maintained his sole lead in the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin chess tournament after drawing with IM Akshay Borgaonkar in the seventh round. Other Indian players, IM Kushagra Mohan and IM Ashwath S, also performed well, securing third and second places respectively.
From supporting young talents financially to earning global recognition, Indian chess is making its presence felt like never before.
Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta and USA's Vaidyanathan Kannan have emerged as joint leaders in the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin Chess Tournament after securing their second consecutive wins. Kannan, a 13-year-old, defeated GM Aleksey Fedorov, while Gupta overcame Ashwath S. India's Kushagra Mohan also caused an upset by beating GM Aleksey Alexandrov.
The Sports Ministry is set to commence the nomination process for the National Sports Awards next month, following a delayed announcement of the 2025 awards. The delay was due to a re-evaluation process aimed at preserving the integrity of the honours, which resulted in no Khel Ratna awardee for 2025 and fewer Arjuna awardees than recommended. The article also details the criteria for these prestigious awards and highlights some of the notable Arjuna awardees for 2025.
Frenchman Alireza Firouzja has won the fourth edition of the Chennai Grand Masters chess tournament, securing the title with a draw against Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi in the final round. Firouzja finished with 4.5 points, taking home a prize purse of Rs 25 lakh.
Top seed Abhijeet Gupta has maintained his lead in the Pune International Grandmaster Round Robin chess tournament after securing his fourth win. International Master Aswath S caused a significant upset by defeating Belarus Grandmaster Fedorov Alexei, moving into second place. All five games in the fifth round produced decisive results.
On current form, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa can be considered one of the most dangerous opponents in world chess, even more dangerous than world No. 1 Carlsen, says Pravind Thipsay.
World champion D Gukesh and Indian star R Praggnanandhaa are set to compete in the Zagreb Rapid and Blitz Tournament, part of the prestigious Grand Chess Tour. Despite Gukesh's sabbatical from classical chess, he joins a strong field including recent Norway Chess winner Praggnanandhaa, promising an exciting week of high-stakes chess.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won three matches in a row on the final day to tie for the first place with Firouzja Alireza of France on 12 points as the rapid section of the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tour ended in Zagreb, Croatia on Friday.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew with Jorden Van Foreest, while Vincent Keymer took the lead in the Super Chess Classic.
As India's remarkable chess revolution gathers momentum, teenagers Rishabh Kumar and Adhiraj Mitra are ensuring that the country's future on the 64 squares remains brighter than ever.
The 22nd Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament, scheduled for January 2027, will feature a record-breaking prize pool of Rs 1.32 crore, making it the open tournament with the highest prize money globally. The event will have three categories, attracting FIDE-rated players, Grandmasters, and amateurs alike, with over 3,000 participants expected. This tournament has historically been crucial for developing Indian chess talent, including stars like D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa, and aims to establish New Delhi as a global chess hub.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa faced a setback in the Super Chess Classic, losing to Fabiano Caruana. Other key results saw Javokhir Sindarov defeat Vincent Keymer, while Jorden Van Foreest benefitted from Alireza Firouzja's withdrawal.
The fourth season of the Global Chess League will feature Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen's return and Indian FIDE Women's World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh's debut.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew with Deac Bogdan-Daniel, while Alireza Firouzja withdrew from the Super Chess Classic due to injury.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Anish Giri in the first round of the Candidates chess tournament. Other notable results included Javokhir Sindarov's win and draws in the women's section featuring Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa is set to compete against Romania's Deac Bogdan-Daniel in the sixth round of the Super Chess Classic, part of the Grand Chess Tour, aiming to end his series of draws.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa will face Romania's Deac Bogdan-Daniel in the sixth round of the Super Chess Classic, part of the Grand Chess Tour, hoping to end his series of draws.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew his fourth-round game at the FIDE Candidates Tournament, while Divya Deshmukh suffered a loss. Javokhir Sindarov made significant progress with another win.
FIDE's decision to shortlist the All India Chess Federation for a prestigious FIDE Excellence Award has ignited a fierce debate within the Indian chess community.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave at the Super Chess Classic, while other matches intensified the title race. Fabiano Caruana and Vincent Keymer drew, and Javokhir Sindarov secured a victory. The final round promises high stakes with multiple players in contention for the title.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa is set to compete against Alireza Firouzja of France in the opening round of the Super Chess Classic in Bucharest, marking his first classical event of the year as part of the Grand Chess Tour.
R Praggnanandhaa described his Norway Chess triumph as the biggest achievement of his career, emphasising that defeating some of the world's strongest players - including the great Magnus Carlsen - made the title particularly memorable.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew with Alireza Firouzja in the first round of the Super Chess Classics in Bucharest, while other games also ended in draws.
D Gukesh, the 20-year-old Indian Grandmaster, discusses the pressures and expectations of being a world chess champion as he prepares to defend his title.
D Gukesh showcased his World Championship preparations by defeating his title challenger, Javokhir Sindarov, and drawing with Wesley So at the Grand Chess Tour's Super Rapid and Blitz event.
Erigaisi in second place, German GM Keymer leads after three rounds of Chennai chess
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa faced a defeat in the third round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament against Javokhir Sindarov, while Fabiano Caruana surged ahead. In the women's event, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the first victory.
