With Carlsen ahead 3.5-2.5 and six games to come, Anand will have to chalk out a plan to neutralise the Norwegian's big advantage in very quick time.
While the mind games will go on in the last two games and a potential tiebreaker, American Hikaru Nakamura and world number one Magnus Carlsen feel that the balance had tilted slightly in Ding Liren's favour.
Praggnanandhaa beats Abdusattorov in Superbet chess
Led by Krishnan Sasikiran on the top board, India defeated formidable Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5 in the third round of the World Team Chess Championship to emerge as joint leader in the elite event in Bursa, Turkey on Friday.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew with Jorden Van Foreest, while Vincent Keymer took the lead in the Super Chess Classic.
Former world champion Viswanathan Anand hailed the young GM's achievement.
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa of India secured the top spot in the rapid section of the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament, scoring 12 out of 18 points.
Indian Grandmaster S P Sethuraman came back into the reckoning for top honours after defeating Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland in the seventh round of the World Junior Chess Championship in Kocaeli.
Viswanathan Anand scored a beautiful victory over Russian Peter Svidler in the fifth round of the World Chess Championships.
'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'
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Javokhir Sindarov in the second round of the Super Chess Classics. Other results from the round include victories for Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Vincent Keymer, while Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So drew their respective matches.
Grandmaster and former World junior champion Abhijeet Gupta won the Commonwealth Chess Championship after settling for a quick draw with Arghyadip Das in the ninth and final round in New Delhi, on Tuesday.
Grandmaster Diptayan Ghosh caused the biggest upset of the World Chess Cup, ousting former world championship challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia after winning the second game of the second round, in Panjim, on Wednesday.
Asian Individual Chess: Nihal Sarin finishes second
India's Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured a crucial victory against Dutchman Jorden Van Foreest in the fourth round of the Sinquefield Cup.
Indian Grandmaster R Vaishali remains in contention at the Women's Candidates Chess tournament after drawing with Zhongyi Tan, while Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan won the open section. Key final round matchups are set to determine the final standings.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa suffered a defeat against Germany's Vincent Keymer in the Sinquefield Cup, part of the Grand Chess Tour, causing him to slip to joint fourth spot. Meanwhile, Wesley So of the United States emerged as the sole leader after a significant victory over Fabiano Caruana.
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin believes team chemistry will be vital for Fyers American Gambits' success in the upcoming Global Chess League. The tournament, featuring elite players and a unique team format, will also serve as preparation for the Chess Olympiad. Sarin highlights the challenge and excitement of integrating diverse playing styles into a cohesive unit.
If Gukesh prevails in the end, he would break the current record set by the legendary Garry Kasparov, who became world champion at the age of 22 in 1985.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has suspended Russia's membership for up to three years due to its failure to comply with a ruling to stop holding events in Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories. This decision follows Russia's continued organisation of chess events in annexed regions, violating a Court of Arbitration for Sport order.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa secured an easy draw against American Samuel Sevian in the first round of the Sinquefield Cup, while top seed Fabiano Caruana emerged as the early leader with a victory over Jorden Van Foreest.
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.
The image of a smiling D Gukesh standing with outstretched hands will forever be embossed in the memory of a nation of billions.
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.
World's youngest chess champion D Gukesh was felicitated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and others at a function organised by the state government in Chennai on Tuesday.
Magnus Carlsen pushed away a camera after losing to Vladislav Artemiev at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Qatar.
Giant-killer Ayush Shetty on Monday described his stunning win over defending champion and world No. 1 Shi Yu Qi as "special", but was quick to stress that the job is far from done at the ongoing BWF World Championships.
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.
'The match,' asserted FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, 'has been played at the highest standards of fair play, no investigation is required.'
India's woman Grandmaster Priyanka Nutakki was expelled from the World Junior Chess Championship being held in Italy currently for having a pair of ear buds in her jacket pocket.
Photos posted by both outlets appeared to show her with no headscarf during the tournament. Khabarvarzeshi also posted a photo of her wearing a headscarf but without saying if it was taken at the same event.
'Gaju said to me, "If you win the world championship, I'm going to do bungee jumping." I'm personally quite scared of heights, so I don't know why I said, "I'll also join you".'
Nagalakshmi, mother of Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, shares insights into her son's success following his Norway Chess 2026 triumph, emphasising hard work and enjoying the process. She also discusses the siblings' journey into chess, their mutual support, and the significant influence of Viswanathan Anand.
Reigning classical World champion D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen were among the leaders after the first five rounds on the opening day of the FIDE World Rapid Championships in Doha on Thursday.
Having never missed his home tournament in the last 13 years, Carlsen had cast doubts over his participation this year after expressing a desire to gradually move away from classical chess. Norway Chess is a classical-format event and Carlsen has won it seven times.
World No 1 Viswanathan Anand won the World Chess Championship after a quick draw against Hungarian Peter Leko in the 14th and final round.
'Gukesh displayed incredible fighting spirit, outstanding mental toughness, insane self-confidence, all qualities of a champion, and he just turned 18 at the end of May.'
The Indian eves could not keep the momentum and lost to Georgia 1-3 in the eighth and penultimate round of World women team chess championship in Mardin, Turkey.
Dutch chess Grandmaster Jan Timman, known as "the best of the West" in a time when chess was dominated by players from the Soviet Union, has died at the age of 74, the Dutch Chess Federation said on Thursday.
The two-day World Blitz Championship in both the Open and Women's categories commences in Doha, on Monday, December 29.
