This is the one of the strongest line-ups in a chess tournament ever, with four of them with a rating over 2800.
China's Ding Liren was crowned on Sunday as the 17th world chess champion in a tense match against Russian-born Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the last chapter of an odds-defying sequence of events.
French Formula One driver Pierre Gasly secured his first career pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, driving for Alpine. He upset favourites like George Russell and Max Verstappen with a stunning final lap, marking a significant achievement for both Gasly and his team at the historic Monza circuit.
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.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa drew against Wei Yi in the second round of the FIDE Candidates tournament, maintaining his joint lead. In the women's section, Divya Deshmukh missed a chance to take the lead, drawing with R Vaishali.
Reigning world champion D Gukesh is not ruffled by the barrage of criticism that has come his way in the past 18 months as the young Indian Grandmaster believes all of it is justified given his underwhelming form.
Grandmaster R Vaishali emerged victorious at the Women's Candidates Tournament, earning the right to challenge Ju Wenjun for the World Championship title.
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa faced a setback at the Candidates chess tournament, while Javokhir Sindarov increased his lead.
World No.1 and challenger Magnus Carlsen of Norway beat defending champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 6.5-3.5 after Game 10 ended in a draw at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chennai on Friday.
He also spooke about the routine he does between moves -- closing his eyes between moves .
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa began his Zagreb Grand Chess Tour campaign with an aggressive victory over top seed Vincent Keymer, showcasing a masterclass performance. While Praggnanandhaa holds a strong position, World Champion D Gukesh experienced mixed results, and Firouzja Alireza currently leads the tournament.
Zinedine Zidane, the 1998 World Cup hero and former Real Madrid manager, has been appointed to lead the France national team, with the primary goal of converting recent near-misses into major trophies, starting with the 2028 European Championship.
Grandmaster D Harika scored the only win of the day for the side as India edged past Greece 2.5-1.5 in the seventh round to stay in medal contention in the World women team chess championship in Mardin, Turkey.
FIDE, the world chess governing body, has rejected calls to move the Candidates Tournament from Cyprus despite security concerns arising from regional conflicts. The tournament is scheduled to begin on March 28.
'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.'
Grandmaster D Harika came up with a spectacular performance in the tiebreak games to beat Zhao Xue of China and enter the last four stage in the World Women chess championship in Khanty Mansiysk (Russia).
Indian Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika staged a great comeback in the FIDE World Women's Chess Championship in Tehran, winning the second game against Tan Zhongyi of China to take the semi-final into a tie-breaker.
Emulates mentor Visvanathan Anand, who had won the tournament back in 1986.
Divith's journey to the top was a rollercoaster ride, showcasing resilience and tactical brilliance.
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy is uncertain about competing in the Candidates Tournament in Cyprus due to safety concerns amid the West Asia conflict, despite assurances from FIDE.
Divith, who has a FIDE rating of 1784 points currently, won four matches on the trot, including the last two against higher-rated opponents
Javokhir Sindarov clinched victory in the Candidates Tournament with a round to spare on Tuesday, to set up a World Championship match against India's Gukesh Dommaraju.
D Gukesh reflects on his historic world chess championship victory
Indian Grandmasters D Gukesh and Aravindh Chithambaram had contrasting results in the second round of the Prague International Chess Festival, with Gukesh drawing and Aravindh winning his game.
Russians Volodar Murzin and Alexander Grischuk, along with Duda Jan-Kryzstof of Poland, share the lead with Arjun on seven points after the end of the second day and Round 9 of the championship, which will decide the best player of the planet after 13 games.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced a significantly relaxed dress code for next month's World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Doha, "allowing classic non-distressed jeans for both men and women", a year after the 'jeansgate' storm involving Magnus Carlsen at the same event.
Dommaraju Gukesh struggled to hold back tears after the shock loss in Game 12 after a three hour, 54 minute battle.
Kerala teenager Krishna Goutham shares the lead with World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, top Indian exponent Arjun Erigaisi, and Vladislav Artemiev.
Defending champion Magnus Carlsen's hopes of retaining his crown he won last year in Chennai got a boost after the tenth game in the World Chess Championship match against challenger Viswanathan Anand ended in a draw after 32 moves in Sochi on Friday. With two rounds to go in the 12-game match, Carlsen, who played with black pieces, leads 5.5-4.5.
Hans Niemann quite literally made a splash on Wednesday, winning an underwater chess exhibition as festivities opened for the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Finals in Cape Town, where the world's elite players gathered ahead of the main competition.
Defending champion Viswanathan Anand played out another tame draw as challenger Magnus Carlsen retained his two-point lead after the eighth game of the World Chess Championship.
China's Ding Liren stormed back in fine fashion with a victory against Gukesh Dommaraju in Game 12 of the World Chess Championship 2024 to level the match at 6-6.
Tamil Nadu has been been churning out top-tier chess for decades at an unrivaled rate. Out of the 85 Grand Masters in India, 31 are from the southern state.
'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.'
Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand said he is looking forward to play games in 2015 with renewed zeal and enthusiasm.
World number one Carlsen claimed the $250,000 top prize and saw his Team Liquid sneak ahead in the overall championship after his win over Firouzja.
The tournament assumes great significance in light of the disputes in world chess for more than a decade and half now.
In the women's section, World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh turned the tables on overnight leader Anna Muzychuk to jump into joint lead with four others.
The Indian eves failed at the first major hurdle as they went down 1-3 to Russia in the sixth round of the world women team chess championship in Mardin, Turkey.
Anand's post affectionately dubbed Gukesh as the 'boy who would be king'
