Chess News

Chinese grandmaster Wei Yi at the FIDE World Cup in Goa. (Express photo by Amit Kamath)

‘I don’t have great chances at Candidates’: Wei Yi ranks Praggnanandhaa above himself in tier list

February 17, 2026 18:26 IST

Wei Yi put himself in tier 3 for the Candidates along with Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov, Russia’s Andrey Esipenko and Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum.

When Carlsen was asked how important the Freestyle Chess variant was for him personally, he pounced on his chance to make a statement. (Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess)

In Freestyle Chess World Championship, Magnus Carlsen has found a stage that excites himSubscriber Only

February 17, 2026 13:11 IST

It could be the unpredictability of the starts in Chess 960, or just the fact that Carlsen needed to stamp his territory in a Freestyle title he'd never won, but chess' ultimate maverick was firmly dialled in at the FIDE event that he went on to win

Magnus Carlsen with the trophy, alongside Fabiano Caruana (left) and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. (Photo: Lennart Ootes/Freestyle Chess.)

Magnus Carlsen claims his 21st World Championship title after pulling rabbit out of hat in Game 3 of final vs Fabiano Caruana

February 17, 2026 08:50 IST

Carlsen admitted that he knew the third game was over, and that defeat was inevitable, but kept fighting regardless. It turned out to be the prudent choice.

File image of Arjun Erigaisi taking on Magnus Carlsen. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

‘A horror nightmare’: How Arjun Erigaisi’s ‘pawn war’ crushed Magnus Carlsen in a wild Freestyle World Championship upset

February 14, 2026 08:13 IST

“This is a position that you don’t even want to get in your nightmares,” chess legend Judit Polgar said on the official broadcast on YouTube as Arjun’s advantage over Carlsen started becoming significant.

Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi will be among the top contenders at the FIDE Freestyle Chess World Championship. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Magnus Carlsen at a World Championship: Everything you need to know about first official Freestyle Chess World Championship

February 13, 2026 00:13 IST

2022 World Fischer Random Champion, Hikaru Nakamura, was invited to compete, but he declined his invitation. But Arjun Erigaisi, Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, Javokhir Sindarov, Hans Niemann and Nodirbek Abdusattorov will compete for the title

Magnus Carlsen and Arjun Erigaisi in action. (FIDE/Lennart Ootes)

Can Arjun Erigaisi beat Magnus Carlsen to become Freestyle World Champion?

February 12, 2026 22:12 IST

After missing the Candidates, Indian grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi gets a shot at a world title in Germany this weekend

A two-time World Rapid Champion, two-time bronze medallist in the same format and a silver in World Blitzs, Koneru Humpy is clearly one of the best in the world in shorter formats. (PHOTO: FIDE via Anna Shtourman)

Norway Chess: Koneru Humpy to join Divya Deshmukh, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa at Oslo event

February 12, 2026 18:04 IST

Humpy is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished female players of her generation. She made history in 2002 when, at just 15 years old, she became the first Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title

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

Praggnanandhaa, 6 other top grandmasters issue urgent plea as 2026 chess calendar ‘clash’ turns concrete

February 11, 2026 18:15 IST

The letter speaks about ‘serious concern about the scheduling conflict between the 2026 Grand Chess Tour and the Esports World Cup chess events’.

Move over, Beth Harmon: New documentary on Judit Polgar details the gambits that shaped a queenSubscriber Only

February 11, 2026 00:42 IST

To capture the zeitgeist of that era, there are clips of male players like Bobby Fischer dismissing the abilities of female players. “Women are terrible chess players,” Fischer smirks in a clip. Fittingly, Judit Polgar smashed Fischer’s 33-year-old record of being the youngest grandmaster in history.

Uzbekistan’s love for chess rivals India’s own and revenge is on the menu for what happened in BudapestSubscriber Only

February 3, 2026 23:05 IST

At the Olympiad in Uzbekistan later this year, the Uzbek quartet of Sindarov, Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, and Jakhongir Vakhidov will be gunning for the Olympiad gold they lost to India in the 2024 edition

Magnus Carlsen smashes his fist on the table after losing to world chess champion Gukesh at Norway Chess. (PHOTO: Norway Chess via Michal Walusza)

Gukesh vs Magnus Carlsen again at Norway Chess, a year after viral table smash

February 3, 2026 16:54 IST

World champion Gukesh was announced as the fourth participant of the Norway Chess 2026 field on Tuesday by the organisers of the event.

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

India’s top players are playing too much chess and missing out on originality

February 2, 2026 23:17 IST

The recent results of D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi have left a lot to desired; they seem exhausted and must take out time to rest

Indian Grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh Chithambaram and D. Gukesh in action during Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee. (PHOTO: Lennart Ootes)

Tata Steel Masters: Only 6 wins in 52 games and 69 ratings points lost, how Wijk aan Zee offered a reality check for Indian chess

February 2, 2026 10:35 IST

Over the course of three weeks in cold Wijk aan Zee, Arjun Erigiaisi lost 30 points, Praggnanandhaa dropped 17 while Aravindh left 16 points lesser than he had before event started. Gukesh, in contrast, lost just six rating points and had the most wins among Indians.

‘One in hundred times’: Fabiano Caruana reacts to Gukesh’s ‘shocking’ one-move blunder vs Nodirbek Abdusattorov

January 31, 2026 22:40 IST

Talking about the Gukesh blunder, Caruana said: "Chess blindness happens in different ways at different times. It usually doesn't happen like this. I just think chess blindness can hit you at any moment, and some people are less susceptible to it than others."

File photo of India's Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi in a game from the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz in Kolkata earlier this month. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

India’s struggles at Wijk aan Zee: 3 wins in 36 games between Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Aravindh Chitambaram

February 1, 2026 11:52 IST

The way Arjun and Pragg have lost rating points at the Wijk aan Zee event, there is a possibility that the semi-retired Viswanathan Anand might find himself as the top rated Indian player in two more days when the event ends.

RB Ramesh (left) with Praggnanandhaa, Aravindh Chithambaram and Karthikeyan Murali. (PHOTO Praggnanandhaa via X)

Chess guru RB Ramesh reveals differences between Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi

January 30, 2026 16:01 IST

Talking about the world champion, RB Ramesh said: "In the case of Gukesh, I think his main strength is his insane self-belief. He just thinks he is too good, and that helps him; he can do dubious things and still get away with them."

One of the brightest talents in women’s chess today, Divya Deshmukh arrives in Oslo following a breakthrough season in 2025 that has firmly established her among the world’s elite. (Photo: Norway Chess)

Norway Chess: Divya Deshmukh to be youngest player to compete in women’s tournament

January 29, 2026 17:31 IST

So far the organisers of Norway Chess have announced that Bibisara Assaubayeva and last year's winner Anna Muzychuk will be part of the six-player field. The remaining three players will be announced soon.

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

‘I wanted to teach him some lessons’: Gukesh jokes after beating 14-year-old Yagiz Kaan Ergodmus in Wijk aan Zee thriller

January 29, 2026 08:31 IST

By the time he resigned, Erdogmus had spent plenty of time shielding his teary eyes from the rest of the world. Gukesh, meanwhile, calmly paced around the playing hall, seemingly determined to get in his 10,000 steps for the day.

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

January 28, 2026 17:00 IST

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.

World No 1 Magnus Carlsen applauds Jacorey Bynum (inset), after the young American player checkmated him in a Titled Tuesday game. (Screengrab via Chess24 YouTube)

‘Oh my God, Magnus Carlsen blundered!’ – Can you find stunning move by untitled player to checkmate world no 1?

January 28, 2026 19:33 IST

“Magnus has dark-square domination. His king is super safe next to the knight here at the edge of the board (on the h6 square),” British grandmaster David Howell was saying on the Take Take Take app’s live commentary just seconds before Carlsen's blunder.

Two-time world championship contender Ian Nepomniachtchi at the FIDE World Cup in Goa. (Express Photo by Amit Kamath)

Ian Nepomniachtchi names Praggnanandhaa among two favourites to win Candidates in tier list

January 29, 2026 10:52 IST

While Ian Nepomniachtchi said he considered Fabiano Caruana as the top favourite to win Candidates 2026, ranking him slightly ahead of Pragg, he also pointed out that American grandmaster "can burn out" in events.

Matthias Bluebaum takes down Gukesh to hand world champion third defeat at Wijk aan Zee

January 28, 2026 09:17 IST

Bluebaum said that he had not spent too much of the rest day worrying about Gukesh’s opening prep with white pieces.

Magnus Carslen reacts to Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus's game against Arjun Erigaisi at FIDE World Rapid Championship last year. (FIDE/ Lennart Ootes)

At 14, Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus is a baby-faced assassin of the chessboardSubscriber Only

January 28, 2026 09:03 IST

Magnus Carlsen said Erdogmus was the ‘best 14-year-old that the world has ever seen’. Hikaru Nakamura called him a ‘superstar of superstars’. Some of the world’s best players have struggled against him.

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 14:34 IST

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

Gukesh was shell-shocked after realising his blunder. The world champion resigned immediately after Nodirbek Abdusattorov’s response. (Screengrab via ChessBase India livestream)

‘Shit happens’: World champion Gukesh on ‘unexplainable’ blunder that left him inconsolable at Wijk aan Zee

January 26, 2026 06:00 IST

Speaking about Friday's blunder after he managed to defeat Vladimir Fedoseev on Sunday, a smiling Gukesh said: “The best part about the blunder is that I cannot even explain how it happened. In a way, those kinds of blunders are perhaps easier to handle than the ones you can actually explain."