Chess News - Page 26

Magnus Carlsen will play against The World in an one-off vote match in Freestyle chess. (Lennart Ootes)

Magnus Carlsen starts online ‘vote chess’ match against one lakh opponents at same time

April 6, 2025 11:52 IST

World No 1 Magnus Carlsen played 1.e4 to start the proceedings in an online Freestyle Chess (Chess960) match.

American GM Hans Niemann. (Photo: Lennart Ootes)

Hans Niemann withdraws ‘at last minute’ from Paris Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour event

April 6, 2025 11:05 IST

Nodirbek Abdusattarov was named as a replacement for the American grandmaster. The announcement comes barely 48 hours before the start of the event.

(LEFT) Vishy Anand joins Vidit Gujrathi on stage to dance on 'Main Hoon Don'. (RIGHT) Gukesh shows off his dance moves. (Screenshots via ChessBase India X)

Anish Giri after Vidit Gujrathi wedding: ‘Dance classes should be part of curriculum’ at Vishy Anand’s academy

April 4, 2025 09:14 IST

Giri had also joked earlier: "If Magnus (Carlsen) and Fabi (Fabiano Caruana) aren't planning to dance, then why even bother."

Tan Zhongyi (left) and Ju Wenjun at a press conference ahead of the FIDE Women's World Chess Championship match in China. (PHOTO: FIDE via Anna Shtourman)

FIDE Women’s World Chess Championship all you need to know: China vs China as Ju Wenjun battles Tan Zhongyi

April 3, 2025 11:35 IST

China are the dominant force in women's chess: the Asian giants hold the record for the most Women’s World Champions (six, one more than USSR’s five).

As Nihal Sarin makes a fresh bid to break into the 2,700-club, the question remains, why had one of the country’s top chess talents been moored in 2,600-club so long? (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Speed demon Nihal Sarin’s career starting to gather pace again after years of slowdownSubscriber Only

April 1, 2025 12:28 IST

Chances to play against 2,700+ bracket players in closed invitational events is rare for Nihal Sarin because of India’s burgeoning riches with first preference for organisers of Norway Chess and Tata Steel Chess in Wijk aan Zee being D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi.

Nihal Sarin competes in the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz tournament in Kolkata last year. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Nihal Sarin wins Tashkent Open, pockets $20,000 prize moneySubscriber Only

March 29, 2025 23:47 IST

Nihal Sarin's win at Tashkent Open Agzamov Memorial means that he has earned 7.1 rating points and is currently rated 2694 in the live ratings.

Viswanathan Anand is fond of him, Magnus Carlsen has his number saved and Samay Raina is credited with sparking businessman Anand Mahindra’s interest in starting chess’s IPL. (Instagram)

There’s more to Samay Raina – his glorious chess jester daysSubscriber Only

March 29, 2025 22:48 IST

Dragged by cops for questioning for being in a show that offended some, the irreverent comic has lost his unapologetic disruptor core. Can Samay Raina still find humour in chess?

Anand is a new entrant in the IE 100 list of most powerful people in India in 2025, coming in at No 36.

Viswanathan Anand ranks at No 36 in IE 100 list of most powerful people in India in 2025

March 28, 2025 08:14 IST

The IE 100 list also has three cricketers: India captain Rohit Sharma (ranked 48th, rising up 20 spots from last year), Virat Kohli (No 72, down from No 38 last year) and Jasprit Bumrah (No 83).

(LEFT) Gukesh at the Chepauk stadium where CSK play their IPL matches; (RIGHT) Chennai Super Kings' Ravichandran Ashwin presents the chess player with a jersey. (Screenshot: CSK YouTube)

Dhoni-fan Gukesh reveals how cricketer ‘helped him’ in his chess career during Chepauk visit

March 26, 2025 05:39 IST

Gukesh, the youngest world champion in the history of chess, revealed that he used to try and mimic Dhoni's hairstyles when he was younger during a recent visit to the Chepauk

Ding Liren made a rare public appearance after losing the world championship title to Gukesh last year. The Chinese GM smiled away as he visited the CFR Chess Museum in Moscow. (Photo courtesy: Vladimir Barsky for Russian Chess Federation)

Three months after losing crown, Ding Liren chillin’ away from the chess board while in RussiaSubscriber Only

March 26, 2025 08:32 IST

Earlier this year, Ding Liren’s Chinese compatriot Wei Yi had told The Indian Express that Ding had played in a basketball game with other chess players on returning to China after the world championship, and had smoked them

Can highly-rated speed chess specialist Nihal Sarin crack the classical code?Subscriber Only

March 22, 2025 07:09 IST

With multiple speed chess championships under his belt, Nihal Sarin made a mark in Classical chess but he has been overshadowed by peers like Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa, and D Gukesh.

Vidit Gujrathi at the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz chess tournament in Kolkata. (Express photo by Partha Paul)

Fiance Nidhi ushers in Vidit Gujrathi’s wins, as the perennially harried GM aces Freestyle Chess where preparations seldom matterSubscriber Only

March 18, 2025 23:34 IST

So effortless was Vidit’s win in the qualification tournament in leadup to his wedding month that he did not need a single tiebreaker to be played in any of his clashes, including against former world champion Ding Liren

FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky with Ukraine's chess player and journalist Anastasiya Karlovich during the Cyprus Women's Grand Prix. (Photo: FIDE/Mark Livshitz)

FIDE CEO: ‘Removing women-only events would deprive many of opportunity under false pretence that women can grow in Open tournaments’

March 17, 2025 16:04 IST

Unlike other sports like cricket, football and tennis, where the events are segregated based on gender -- for male or female -- chess has a more inclusive category where both men and women (boys & girls too) can play together apart from an exclusive women's category.

Want to face Magnus Carlsen in online game? Here’s how

March 16, 2025 14:43 IST

Magnus Carlsen to play a one-off vote chess match in Freestyle format against the world.

Vidit says the need to take a step back from the sport came after an ‘intense burnout’ he felt chasing his world championship dream in the last cycle. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

‘Vidit 3.0 has just begun’: Vidit Gujrathi wins play-in event to secure spot in Paris leg of Freestyle Grand Slam tour

March 15, 2025 07:18 IST

Vidit Gujrathi said he had barely played any chess over the past few months and was travelling for nearly 10 hours before his match on Friday. He beat Richard Rapport while using his cellphone internet.

Gukesh D visits Tirupati and has head tonsured as offering to Lord Balaji

March 12, 2025 14:38 IST

The Tirupati Balaji temple has a unique tradition of devotees donating their hair

Hans Niemann warns US chess, compares it with Indian ecosystem: ‘American chess will fade into obscurity’

March 11, 2025 12:36 IST

American Grandmaster Hans Niemann compared the Indian chess ecosystem with the US chess scene and warned it will face into obscurity if things continue the way it has been.

Aravindh Chithambaram takes on good friend Praggnanandhaa in the fifth round at the Prague Chess Masters event. (PHOTO: Petr Vrabec)

Can the pawn-lover Aravindh Chithambaram turn into a valuable king of chess?Subscriber Only

March 11, 2025 09:00 IST

For Indian chess, it was quite fitting that Aravindh’s success came on the same day that 18-year-old Pranav Venkatesh emerged as the World Junior Champion.

Can India’s NextGen of chess players live upto the expectations in the era of Gukesh and PraggnannandhaaSubscriber Only

March 9, 2025 16:32 IST

Emergence of Aravindh Chithambaram and Pranav Venkatesh is great news for Indian chess, but Gukesh & Praggnanandhaa will be a tough acts to follow.

Gukesh youngest chess champion ding liren

‘Means a lot to me that my parents don’t have to think about money anymore’: Gukesh

March 8, 2025 17:55 IST

Gukesh is India’s youngest grandmaster, missing the tag of becoming the world’s youngest by just 17 days.

File image of Pranav Venkatesh during the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Almaty. (PHOTO: FIDE via Lennart Ootes)

Another world champion from India: Pranav Venkatesh becomes World Junior Chess ChampionSubscriber Only

March 8, 2025 07:08 IST

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand's rich praise for Pranav: "He's just gifted. One thing which stood out was his resourcefulness. He's very tenacious, he's able to find hidden resources in difficult positions as well and that makes him a very tough player to play against."

How Aravindh Chithambaram emerged from the shadows and blossomed into a top-tier playerSubscriber Only

March 11, 2025 03:15 IST

Aravindh Chithambaram wins Prague Masters 2025: Calmer, tougher and confident, the 25-year-old who trains with Praggnanandhaa under RB Ramesh is vaulting into a serious competitor

India's Aravindh Chithambaram in action during the Prague Masters 2025. (Photo: Prague Masters )

Aravindh Chithambaram inches closer to Prague Masters title

March 7, 2025 11:24 IST

In the final round, Aravindh will face Turkey's Ediz Gurel, while Praggnanandhaa has a tougher challenge against Anish Giri of the Netherlands.

Aravindh Chithambaram goes past Viswanathan Anand to become World No. 14 in live rating list after beating Dutch GM Anish Giri

March 6, 2025 13:06 IST

Aravindh Chithambaram surpassed five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand to become the new World No. 14 on the live rating list.

New Delhi to host FIDE World Cup; Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi ‘prime candidates’ to host eventSubscriber Only

March 4, 2025 12:56 IST

An AICF official said that India will also make a bid to host the 2026 World Championship, where Gukesh will defend his crown against a yet-to-be-determined challenger.