World Chess champion Vishwanathan Anand talks to Norma Godinho about defending his World crown and supporting and mentoring young sportsmen through Olympic Gold Quest.
D Gukesh saw the world championship trophy for the first time on Friday after becoming the youngest ever to win it but said he would wait a while before laying his hands on it.
Former World chess champion Viswanathan Anand finally returned to India on Saturday after being stuck in Germany for over three months due to the travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The Chennai-based chess maestro arrived by an Air India flight from Frankfurt via Delhi and reached the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru around 1.15 pm local time.
R Praggnanandhaa, the newly-crowned Tata Steel Chess champion, was given a warm reception upon his return to Chennai. The 19-year-old made history by defeating reigning World Champion D Gukesh in the final, marking the biggest win of his career. Fans, officials from the Tamil Nadu government, and the national federation gathered at the airport to welcome the young chess prodigy. Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the Tata Steel Chess title.
Anatoly Karpov and Viswanathan Anand, two former World champions, took on dozens of children and teenagers in simultaneous chess games in Jerusalem on Monday as hundreds of onlookers watched.
At the closing ceremony, Gukesh was adorned with a garland as he proudly held the coveted trophy.
As the players go into the ninth round, in which Anand will play with black pieces, we take a look at the many moods of the two giants of the 64-squares arena since the match began on November 7.
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand and five other leading Indian players will compete in an online chess exhibition on April 11 to raise funds for country's fight against COVID-19. The event will be streamed live on chess.com/tv, where all donations made will be sent to the PM's CARES Fund.
D Gukesh will take on Magnus Carlsen in the opening round in what should be one of the most keenly-contested matches at the Norway Chess tournament.
In the eleventh game of the World Chess Championship, Viswanathan Anand playing with black pieces lost to Magnus Carlsen. With this win Carlsen has successfully defended his World Champion title.
India has submitted its bid to host the much-anticipated World Chess Championship clash between teen sensation D Gukesh and defending champion Ding Liren of China in November-December this year.
'I spoke to Paddy, and I made some changes.' 'After that, I slept well in the last two days -- at least eight hours each day.' 'So, I was fresh in the games. Sleep is very important.'
The image of a smiling D Gukesh standing with outstretched hands will forever be embossed in the memory of a nation of billions.
Defending champion Ding Liren says the in-form Dommaraju Gukesh is the big favourite to win their World Chess title showdown in November.
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).
Viswanathan Anand was in Germany to play in the Bundesliga chess and before he could return, the travel restrictions came calling in wake of the pandemic.
Magnus Carlsen of SG Alpine Warriors defeated Viswanathan Anand and launched his team to the top of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League in Dubai on Wednesday.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Saturday
Viswanathan Anand defeated an out-of-sorts Alexander Grischuk while Magnus Carlsen sealed the title at the Altibox Norway chess tournament with a round to spare, in Stavanger. Anand's chances to be in top three had ended after he lost to American Fabiano Caruana in the previous round.
After conceding a draw with white against Levon Aronian of Armenia, Anand got the favour returned although he had to work relatively harder to maintain parity against Nakamura, often termed his nemesis.
'It will be special. Looking forward to going to a world championship match without the tension of playing. I am a chess fan too and hope it will be a good match'
Chess maestro Viswanathan Anand finally reunited with his family in Chennai after being stuck in Germany for over three months as the former World chess champion reached his home in Chennai on Saturday after completing a seven-day institutional quarantine in Bengaluru. Anand had returned to India on May 30.
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand finished joint second after playing out a draw with Wesley So of United States in the Sinquefield Cup, which concluded in St Louis, USA.
The Indian challenge extends to the Challengers' section, where Divya Deshmukh will compete against some strong Grandmasters.
After six straight losses, Anand won his first game of the tournament despite conceding early advantage on Monday night.
The upcoming inaugural edition of the Global Chess League (GCL) will feature the sport's icons such as Viswanathan Anand, Magnus Carlsen, Hou Yifan and Ding Liren.
Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali says doing well in the star-studded event is not the only target on her mind when she lands in the British Capital next month.
Viswanathan Anand won his first game handing Judit Polgar a defeat in the seventh round of Corus Granmasters chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee.
Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh finished fifth while his illustrious compatriot Viswanathan Anand could only manage a tied seventh place in the third leg of the 2023 SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz chess tournament.
The Indian closed the first half of the Morelia Linares chess on a winning note with a thumping win over Peter Leko in the seventh round.
India's chess maestro Viswanathan Anand along with Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, Nihal Sarin and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa will be offering simultaneous exhibitions on Chess.com to support COVID-19 relief in India on Thursday.
'You need hard work along with talent to reach exceptional heights.'
Playing as a wildcard in the tournament, the Indian ace had on Thursday defeated Radoslaw Wojtaszek of Poland in the first round, before getting the better of American Wesley So and Anton Korobov (Ukraine).
World champion Viswanathan Anand beat Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in the third round to occupy sole second place in the Morelia-Linares chess tournament.
Viswanathan Anand on Saturday described 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh overtaking him as the highest-rated Indian player in FIDE rankings as a "historic" achievement.
Indian grandmaster Viswanathan Anand played out a draw againt Peter Svidler of Russia in the eighth round of Tata Steel Masters underway, in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, on Sunday.
Magnus Carlsen banged the table while his game against World Champion D Gukesh was still in progress, an act that violated chess conduct rules.
After jumping to joint lead following a crushing victory over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, Anand could not repeat the magic and Caruana deserved all the credit for taking chances.
The victory kept the Indian ace in the hunt for the overall title in the Amber chess tournament.\n\n
'I think the world championship matches are decided not purely by chess but by who has the better character and who has the better willpower. And I think those qualities, I did show quite well'
