Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan, aged 11, has been crowned the youngest Woman Grandmaster (WGM) while representing England at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan. This achievement adds to her growing list of records, including being the youngest person to represent England internationally in any sport. She is now one step closer to becoming an International Master.
Bhakti Kulkarni became Goa's first Woman Grandmaster (WGM) after the World Chess Federation officially cleared her title at 83rd FIDE Congress in Istanbul.
India's Mayank Chakraborty and Pratitee Bordoloi secured gold medals in the Open and Girls categories, respectively, at the Asian Junior Classical Chess Championship, leading the host nation to a memorable double victory and a total of four medals.
Indian-origin English chess player Bodhana Sivanandan, aged 11, has achieved the title of International Master -- becoming the youngest female to do so.
Shivika Rohilla has earned the Woman International Master (WIM) title after a successful chess tournament in Budapest, marking a significant achievement in her chess career and contributing to the growing women's chess scene in India.
Woman Fide Master Pratitee Bordoloi and Grandmaster-elect Mayank Chakraborty have emerged as sole leaders in their respective categories at the Asian Junior Girls Classical Chess Championship and Open Championship in Mumbai after seven rounds. Both players secured crucial results to maintain their half-point advantage over their nearest rivals as the tournament progresses to its decisive stage.
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.
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.
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.
R. Vaishali, the newly-crowned Candidates champion, exemplifies quiet intensity and strong values, nurtured by a supportive family, as she prepares for the World Championship showdown against Ju Wenjun.
Teen prodigy Divya Deshmukh stunned seasoned grandmaster Koneru Humpy in a tense tiebreak to win the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, rewriting Indian chess history at just 19.
Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali's loss to China's Jiner Zhu has thrown the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament wide open.
Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh has said she was not under any kind of pressure while playing the FIDE Women's World Cup final against compatriot Koneru Humpy as she had "nothing to lose".
They weren't up for a windfall even after the trophy but life was certain to get a lot better as some sponsors and state governments stepped up to lift them financially.
Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan, 11, has become England's top-rated female player, surpassing established champions and breaking into the world's top 100.
Indian chess grandmaster Koneru Humpy defends her decision to withdraw from the Candidates tournament in Cyprus due to safety concerns amid regional tensions, stating that playing peacefully is impossible when surrounded by warships.
Queen of Chess is a moving and powerful sports documentary about the highest-rated woman player in the history of chess. 'For me, it is a deeply personal reminder of where we came from, and what it took to get there,' notes Susan Polgar as she reviews her sister Judit Polgar's Netflix documentary, Queen Of Chess.
Harmanpreet Singh, Smriti Mandhana, Divya Deshmukh among five Indian stars nominated for BBC awards
This marks the first time that four players from a single country have reached the quarter-finals of the FIDE Women's World Chess Cup.
The two-day World Blitz Championship in both the Open and Women's categories commences in Doha, on Monday, December 29.
While Vantika, Harika and Vaishali have an uphill task in the first set of tie-break games, they can still make it to the round of 16.
World champion D Gukesh will face compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram in the sixth round of the Prague International Chess Festival as he seeks his first victory in the tournament.
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.
'I wasn't just racing, I was paving the way for others.'
Mothers competing in elite chess will be able to take advantage of a new set of family-friendly policies being introduced by the International Chess Federation
Humpy settles for bronze after coming close to World Rapid title; Erigaisi finishes third
Divya Deshmukh came to the star-studded FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, as an underdog, hoping to at least win one Grandmaster norm in her journey to become a GM in the future.
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.
She has a current rating of 1551.
Asian chess: Srija Seshadri in joint lead
With Vantika's hard-earned victory there are still five Indians left in the last 32 stage of this US$691,250 prize money event with an additional bonus of making it to the Women's candidates' tournament slated in 2026 for the top three finishers.
'She is now a role model for the upcoming young generation. And I am sure that this victory will definitely motivate and inspire the Indian women, and those who are coming up.'
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.
Padmini Rout replicating the result in the women's section to emerge as the top Indian performers in Al Ain, UAE.
The Global Chess League has hit a significant milestone on its fifth day. With half of the matches already in the books, the competition now embarks on the crucial second phase of the round-robin tournament.
'The Asian Chess Championship will give great exposure for young chess players. But the AICF is curtailing the number of Indian players with a strange rule.'
Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh has revealed that navigating the pressure in a long, gruelling tournament like the FIDE Women's World Cup title was "quite stressful" but she was determined to go all the way after the tough matches in the lead-up to the title clash against Koneru Humpy in Batumi, Georgia, recently.
The chess champ loves to dress her nails and hair.
A former school principal of newly crowned chess champion from Nagpur Divya Deshmukh remembers her as a student with calm composure who started playing the board game when she was just five and also excelled in studies.
Neither current World Champion D Gukesh nor former world champion Vishy Anand are the top rated Indian chess player.
