Chess News

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand discusses after his game with Arjun Erigaisi at the Tata Steel India chess tournament. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Why Viswanathan Anand never fell into the trap of retirementSubscriber Only

January 14, 2026 08:25 IST

Five-time world chess champion only plays occasionally, but is finding it increasingly difficult to watch from the sidelines as the competitive urge rears its head

Magnus Carlsen taking on world champion Gukesh D at the Norway Chess tournament in 2025. (PHOTO: Norway Chess via Michal Walusza)

Magnus Carlsen confirmed for 2026 Norway Chess as world’s most elite tournament leaves Stavanger after 13 years

January 14, 2026 23:39 IST

Carlsen has taken part in each of the 13 Norway Chess editions and has won seven of them.

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

D Gukesh is official champion, ‘political’ FIDE has organised too many world titles, says Wesley So

January 13, 2026 09:57 IST

The Tata Steel blitz winner believes that the classical title, won by Gukesh in 2024, is being devalued too much in the current climate.

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 IST

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

India's R Praggnanandhaa thinks about his next move during a game in Tata Steel Chess India in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

‘I haven’t played up to my best’: Praggnanandhaa’s assessment of his form; Eyes reboot for 2026 Candidates

January 11, 2026 18:36 IST

After non-stop board play in the second half of 2025, Pragg is looking forward to two months of preparation heading into Candidates

How a ‘fed up’ Viswanathan Anand planned his return to competitive circuit and nearly clinched the Tata Steel Rapid title in Kolkata

January 11, 2026 22:38 IST

While Anand revealed he hadn’t done any specific preparation for this event in his busy schedule, the work he had done in October and November was still helping him

How Arjun Erigaisi hoodwinked Viswanathan Anand and Wei Yi at Blitz event of the 2026 Tata Steel Chess

January 11, 2026 09:37 IST

Having finished third in the Rapid event of the 2026 Tata Steel Chess India tournament in Kolkata, Arjun began the Blitz portion with a blitzkrieg of his own. On Saturday, he took down five opponents one by one, starting with five straight wins, many of which were swindled in his favour at the very last second.

Tata Steel Chess: Nihal Sarin battles through grief – wins Rapid title a day after grandfather’s death

January 10, 2026 13:45 IST

Grandmaster was persuaded by mother to stay and play and clinches crown ahead of Viswanathan Anand.

In the mid-1980s, the race to become India's first Grandmaster was at its peak. There were only two contenders: Barua and a teenager from Chennai named Viswanathan Anand. (Photo Credit: Vivek Sohani)

Dibyendu Barua: The Chess pioneer who battled Viswanathan Anand in race to be India’s first Grandmaster

January 9, 2026 23:52 IST

Dibyendu Barua, who rose from adversity, is now a tournament organiser himself and giving back to the game as an omnipresent figure at Tata Steel Chess India

Viswanathan Anand takes on Arjun Erigaisi at the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kolkata. (Photo: Lennart Ootes)

Kolkata comes alive as Anand and Arjun deliver a classic at Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz

January 9, 2026 08:51 IST

When the game's "mad man" faced off against the “lightning kid”, chaos was almost a given.

Jan Henric Buettner on FIDE Freestyle World Championship: ‘We see ourselves as the Formula One of chess’

January 9, 2026 10:04 IST

Jan Henric Buettner, the German billionaire entrepreneur behind the ambitious Freestyle Grand Slam Tour, revealed to this newspaper how the months-long feud with FIDE was finally resolved as the Freestyle Chess World Championship was announced.

India's Arjun Erigaisi in action against Levon Aronian at Las Vegas Freestyle Grand Slam semifinal. (Freestyle Chess/Lennart Ootes)

Freestyle Chess organisers and FIDE bury hatchet to announce FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship

January 8, 2026 00:49 IST

FIDE said that six players have already qualified for the eight-player event, based on their results during the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. This includes Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi. Freestyle Chess nominated Hans Niemann as a wildcard while FIDE's

Viswanathan Anand takes on Wesley So on day 1 of the Tata Steel India Rapid and Blitz Chess tournament in Kolkata. (PHOTO: Lennart Ootes)

Tata Steel Chess: Returning Viswanathan Anand shows swiftness, guile to go into joint lead

January 8, 2026 09:30 IST

Playing for the first time in six years, Anand shows value of experience to beat American Wesley So, China’s Wei Yi, and compatriot Aravindh Chithambaram

Magnus Carlsen looks at a chess board. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Seven-figure club: Magnus Carlsen was only chess player to earn over $1 million in 2025 from prize money

January 7, 2026 20:55 IST

India’s top money earner when it came to prize money was Arjun Erigaisi, who pocketed a whopping $431,214 (approximately Rs 3.8 crore) in 2025. This put Arjun 8th in the 2025 list while Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh were behind him.

Faustino Oro competes at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2023. (PHOTO: Lennart Ootes via FIDE)

Magnus Carlsen tells Faustino Oro: ‘One day, Messi will be lucky to be compared to you’

January 8, 2026 01:01 IST

Talking about the record of the youngest grandmaster in the world, Carlsen had some advice for Oro. “I do think that there are more important things right now than records. He's a great player. He has a wonderful positional feeling for chess which is quite rare among such young players."

Ian Nepomniachtchi’s top 20 exit shows Russian chess is down, but it’s not checkmated yet

January 7, 2026 08:01 IST

While Russian chess is running on fumes these days, other chess empires have emerged in nations like China, USA, India and Uzbekistan.

Viswanathan Anand Praggnanandhaa Niemann Tata Steel Chess

Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Blitz: Viswanathan Anand comes back, Praggnanandhaa stays in present, Niemann wants his past to be forgotten

January 7, 2026 08:01 IST

After appearing in the first three editions as a player, and later as the event’s ambassador and promoter, Anand returns to compete following a six-year absence.

Magnus Carlsen slams table after losing to Arjun Erigaisi at World Blitz Championship. (PHOTO: Screengrab/X)

‘Magnus is very influential’: Why many chess players want FIDE to take action against Carlsen’s emotional outbursts and why they aren’t

January 6, 2026 19:09 IST

The parent body sees the episodes as ‘normal occurrences’ but players like Aronian and Srinath feel ‘tantrums shouldn’t be normalised’.

World champion Gukesh Dommaraju is seen during the first day of the FIDE World Rapid Championship in Doha. (PHOTO: Lennart Ootes via FIDE)

Tata Steel Chess: Gukesh withdraws from Kolkata event citing personal reasons, Nihal Sarin drafted in as replacement

January 4, 2026 09:21 IST

Dibyendu Barua, India’s second Grandmaster and Tata Steel Chess India Tournament Director, says Gukesh’s withdrawal is a big setback.

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 2, 2026 12:46 IST

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.

How lack of invitations in elite events is holding back Arjun Erigaisi, India’s top ranked player in all formats

January 2, 2026 10:22 IST

With more invitations, he could win more medals in Rapid and Blitz categories, says ex-trainer Srinath.

Delivering hand written notes, Vladimir Kramnik files lawsuit against FIDE, sues World chess body for defamation

January 1, 2026 15:09 IST

Kramnik, who had previously accused Naroditsky of cheating in online chess, raised suspicions about Naroditsky’s sudden passing and posted a series of explosive tweets questioning the circumstances.

PM Narendra Modi congratulates Arjun Erigaisi for winning bronze in FIDE Rapid Chess Championship

December 31, 2025 17:22 IST

Erigaisi suffered a shattering semifinal loss to top Uzbek player Nodirbek Abdusattorov as the ace Indian settled for a bronze medal.

Arjun Erigaisi in action against Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the World Blitz Championship semi-finals on Tuesday. (PHOTO: Anna Shtourman/FIDE)

World Blitz Championships: Arjun Erigaisi ends year with bittersweet bronze, Magnus Carlsen makes a comeback for ages to win title

December 31, 2025 09:40 IST

Carlsen and Erigaisi thus became the only two players at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Doha to take home two medals, with Carlsen winning twin golds.