Indian chess

News

INDIAN CHESS NEWS

Indian Chess Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa. (PHOTO: FIDE/FILE)

India No. 1 Arjun Erigaisi overlooked again for Grand Chess Tour as Gukesh-Pragg lead the Indian charge in 2026

January 28, 2026 5:00 pm

This marks the third straight year that reigning World Champion Gukesh and former World Cup finalist Praggnanandhaa have been invited as full-tour participants for GCT, while Arjun has been overlooked.

India's first and second Grandmasters Viswanathan Anand (R) and Dibyendu Barua in Kolkata. (PHOTO: Tata Steel Chess India/Lennart Ootes)

Retro-sport: When fans flocked to Russian House to watch India's 1st chess Grandmaster take on India's 2nd GM

January 28, 2026 2:34 pm

Viswanathan Anand, who had become India’s first Grandmaster played Dibyendu Barua, Calcutta’s own, in 1992; Such was the interest that six-seven manual demonstration boards had to be put up all around the hall

Alireza Firouzja was the youngest to breach the 2800 Elo mark in history of chess. (PHOTO: Saint Louis Chess/Crystal Fuller)

Alireza Firouzja's rollercoaster: From being hailed as the next big thing in Chess to missing out on 2026 Candidates

January 02, 2026 12:46 pm

Firouzja is no longer the dominant force he once was, at least not in classical chess. From qualifying for two consecutive Candidates tournaments and entering them as one of the top contenders, Firouzja's stock has gradually declined.

India's D. Gukesh during a press conference at World Rapid & Blitz Championship 2025 in Doha. (PHOTO: FIDE/Anna Shtourman)

World Rapid Championship 2025: Indians in action in Open & Women's Category; Top seeds, ratings & schedule

December 26, 2025 5:03 pm

A total of 42 Indians are in action in the Rapid event, with 29 featuring in the Open category, while 13 are in the women's event.

Gukesh on World Rapid & Blitz Championship in Doha: 'Don't have lots of expectations; I'm here just to play'

December 26, 2025 12:34 am

Besides Gukesh, India's R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, P Harikrishna, Vidit Gujrathi and a whole brigade of young players, both in Open and Women's section, are in attendance

Charvi with her her mother Akhila at Norway Chess Open tournament earlier this year. (Express Photo by Amit Kamath)

At 11, Charvi, youngest participant in Women’s World Rapid and Blitz, following in footsteps of Polgar sisters

December 25, 2025 9:00 am

Charvi Anilkumar has spent the entire year playing in open events against boys and men older than her, going against the norm of girls opting to play in women’s age group events.

Praggnanandhaa finished London Chess Classic 2025 Open event as joint-winner. (PHOTO: John Saunders/London Chess Classic)

Praggnanandhaa gets closer to Candidates 2026 qualification after finishing London Chess Classic 2025 Open as joint-winner

December 04, 2025 9:59 pm

Praggnanandhaa earned 8.17 points from London Chess Classic Open event in the FIDE Circuit Leaderboard, extending his lead at the top with a total of 115.17 points from his best seven events as he gets closer to the last Candidates 2026 spot.

Indians dominating chess like never before: President Droupadi Murmu

August 14, 2025 8:12 pm

Eighteen-year-old D Gukesh's triumph as the youngest world champion last year began a season of excellent results for India's chess prodigies with the likes of R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidith Gujarati, Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh and R Vaishali delivering consistently strong performances in high pressure international events.

Praggnanandhaa won the title against an elite 10-player Masters field in Tashkent that comprised heavy-hitters like Ian Nepomniachtchi and Arjun Erigaisi, besides the Uzbek quartet of Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Yakubboev and Shamsiddin Vokhidov. (File)

RB Ramesh explains what led to Praggnanandhaa’s success in 2025: Playing ‘risky’ chess, more variety of openings and more

July 01, 2025 8:55 am

The UzChess Cup also helped Praggnanandhaa leap ahead of his compatriots like Arjun, Gukesh and Aravindh in one of the most heavily-contested battles in the sport at the moment: the race to be India’s top-ranked player, a position which comes with other perks, like invitations to elite tournaments.

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) launched the Top National Players Stipend Scheme (TNPSS), under which they gave stipends ranging from ₹60,000 to ₹1,50,000.

Indian chess federation hands out stipends worth Rs 42 lakh to promising young players

June 25, 2025 11:32 pm

A total of 42 top-ranked players, based on their last year performances at national level, are the first beneficiaries of this scheme, representing the pinnacle of talent across the U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, U17, and U19 age categories.