Vantika Agrawal

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VANTIKA AGRAWAL NEWS

Carissa Yip and Wesley So claimed the Tata Steel Chess India blitz titles in Kolkata. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Tata Steel Chess India: American double delight as Carissa Yip and Wesley So win Blitz titles while Arjun Erigaisi fades

January 12, 2026 12:54 pm

Vantika Agrawal finishes second in the women's event after impressive comeback while Nihal Sarin was runner-up in the Open segment

After a eight-game showdown over three days, IM Vantika Agrawal defeated former women’s world champion Anna Ushenina to enter Round 3 of the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi. (PHOTO: FIDE via Anna Shtourman)

After 8 games over 3 days, Vantika Agrawal stuns ex-women’s world champion Anna Ushenina to enter Round 3 of FIDE Women's World Cup

July 11, 2025 10:58 pm

Vantika will join compatriots like Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, and Divya Deshmukh in the third round of the FIDE Women's World Cup.

Indian IM Vantika Agrawal beat former women's world champion Anna Ushenina to take 1-0 lead in the second round of the ongoing FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi. (PHOTO: FIDE via Anna Shtourman)

Vantika Agrawal beats ex-women's world champion Anna Ushenina to take 1-0 lead at FIDE Women's World Cup

July 10, 2025 8:39 am

Another former women's world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk was held to a draw by India's Padmini Rout in a remarkable result. Meanwhile, Koneru Humpy, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh (vs Mgeladze Kesaria of Georgia) all secured Game 1 wins.

India's Nihal Sarin in action. (PHOTO: Anna Shtourman/FIDE)

Nihal Sarin settles for silver at Asian individual championship, qualifies for FIDE World Cup 2025

May 16, 2025 10:32 am

An inferior tie-break score kept Nihal Sarin on second as the No.1 seed from India settled with a silver medal in the Asian individual chess championship.

While there is eye-catching money to be made at the World Chess Championship, players mostly made money in privately-organised events like the Grand Chess Tour, the German Bundesliga or the Global Chess League.

In chess, away from eye-catching numbers lies world where players lose money playing, struggle to attract sponsors, and worry about making a living

January 28, 2025 8:03 pm

Do top chess players make a lot of money? How much do grandmasters spend on sustaining their career? In this week's On The Moves, we look beyond the flashy, headline-grabbing numbers, to look at the costs of playing chess at the top level