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R Praggnanandhaa described his Norway Chess triumph as the biggest achievement of his career, emphasising that defeating some of the world's strongest players - including the great Magnus Carlsen - made the title particularly memorable. He said the event's extraordinary strength, with one of the highest average ratings ever assembled in a tournament, added even greater weight to his victory. Praggnanandhaa became the first Indian to win Norway Chess since the tournament's inception in 2013, capping off a landmark campaign by defeating world No. 1 and seven-time champion Carlsen twice -- a rare feat against one of the game's greatest players. His triumph came in an exceptionally strong field, with all six players in the 'Open' section rated above 2700 and Carlsen leading the pack at 2840, adding further lustre to the title. "I think this is like (the biggest win of my career)...also stronger in terms of like average rating. I think, because you have like some 2600s (rating) in Wijk
Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa scripted history as he became the first Indian to win the prestigious Norway Chess title with a final-round victory over Germany's Vincent Keymer here on Friday. Praggnanandhaa, who began the day in third place with 15 points, delivered when it mattered the most, securing a classical win worth three full points to finish on 18 points and clinch one of the most coveted trophies in elite chess. In doing so, the 20-year-old Chennai player achieved a feat that had eluded even Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand and reigning world champion D Gukesh among others, since the tournament's inception in 2013. Competing in Norway Chess for only the second time, Praggnanandhaa endured a slow start in the elite six-player field before gathering momentum in the second half of the event. His campaign was highlighted by a remarkable achievement -- defeating seven-time Norway Chess champion and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen twice in classical chess -- a rare accomplishmen
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa has put himself firmly in contention for the Norway Chess title after a commanding classical victory over compatriot D Gukesh moved him to within half a point of leader Wesley So of the USA, setting up an intriguing final round battle here. Praggnanandhaa piled more misery on Gukesh, defeating the world champion in a classical game to earn three full points and put himself in the hunt to become the first Indian chess player to win the prestigious tournament. He moved into the sole second place on 15 points, just behind American GM Wesley So (15.5) after Round 9, with one round remaining on Friday. The tournament could hardly have asked for a more dramatic finale, with France's Alireza Firouzja also in title contention on 14.5 points in third place, leaving three players with a realistic shot at the title heading into the final round. Significantly, whoever emerges victorious on Friday will be crowned Norway Chess champion for the first time. Play
Indian-origin chess prodigy Bodhana Sivanandan has become England's top-rated female player, according to the latest rating list of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The 11-year-old, whose parents moved from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu to England in 2007, has 2366 FIDE rating points. The primary school student based in North London has overtaken four-time British women's champion, Lan Yao, who is 25, at the top of the FIDE list for England. With this, she has also broken into the world's top 100 women for the first time, currently sitting at number 72, stated the English Chess Federation in a press release. "It is an extraordinary rise for a Harrow schoolgirl who took up the game during (the 2020 COVID-19) lockdown after finding a chessboard and set in a bag her father wanted to throw out," the release added. Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is also of Indian origin, congratulated Sivanandan and recalled the time he played a game with her at his official .
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa suffered a major setback in his campaign, going down to Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan in the third round of the FIDE Candidates Tournament here on Tuesday. The defeat with the white pieces could prove costly for Praggnanandhaa, who had begun his campaign on a high by defeating Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, leaving the Indian on 1.5 points after the setback and in urgent need of a quick recovery. Apart from Sindarov, American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana -- the pre-tournament favourite -- defeated Wei Yi of China in one of the strangest games of the opening three rounds, with Caruana and Sindarov sharing the lead on 2.5 points apiece. They are followed by Praggnanandhaa on 1.5, while Matthias Bluebaum, Andrey Esipenko, Hikaru Nakamura and Giri are tied for fourth on one point each. Wei Yi sits at the bottom on half a point in the eight-player double round-robin event with 11 rounds still to be played. For Praggnanandhaa, it was a heartbreak after
The fortunes of World Champion D Gukesh did not change for the fifth day running as the Indian blundered from a position of strength to lose to nemesis Nodirbek Abdusattorov at Prague International Chess Festival here. Just a month back Gukesh had lost to Abdusattorov through a blunder from a decent position during the Tata Steel Masters but the fifth round here was even more heartbreaking as the Indian did everything right for the major part of the middle game and seemed like cruising through to an easy victory. Employing a new strategy as black, Gukesh tormented the white's king early in the opening and created enough weaknesses for the computer to volunteer that he was closing in on his first victory in Masters section of the tournament. However, the ticking of the clock had its final say as the Indian faltered in the closing stages of the first time-control. Abdusattorov almost returned the favour but this was simply not Gukesh's day as another blunder saw white advancing his p
International chess federation president Arkady Dvorkovich on Monday called India a "modern powerhouse" in the sport and said the upcoming FIDE World Cup was being organised in Goa because the country had become the "central pillar in the global structure of our sport". As many as 206 top chess exponents from 80 countries will be in Goa for the prestigious tournament, scheduled to be held from October 30 to November 27. The players will battle through a knockout format for a share of the USD 2 million prize fund and, more importantly, the three coveted qualification spots for the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament the gateway to the next World Championship match. "India is not just the ancient home of chess; it is a global modern powerhouse. This World Cup (in Goa) is being held here because India is now a central pillar in the global structure of our sport. "For the next four weeks, Goa will not just be a coastal paradise; it will be the Colosseum of Chess. This is where legends are
World champion D Gukesh was held to a draw by the lone wild card Samuel Sevian of United States, while fellow Indian R Praggnanandhaa also split the point with Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup here. With his second draw in as many days, Praggnanadhaa remained in the leading group of three players that now include Fabiano Caruana of United States besides the overnight co-leader Armenian-turned-American Levon Aronian. Caruana handed Alireza Firouzja of France his first loss in the tournament in the lone decisive game of the day. Aronian was held to a draw by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, while another American Wesley So split the point with Duda Jan-Kryzsztof of Poland. With six rounds still to come in the 3,75,000 USD prize money tournament, Praggnanadhaa, Aronian and Caruana share the lead on two points each and they are now followed by Wesley, Firouzja, Vachier-Lagrave, Sevian and Gukesh -- who all stand a half point behind. Duda is
Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi defeated Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov to storm into the semifinals but R Praggnanandhaa bowed out of the title race after losing to USA's Fabiano Caruana at the USD 750,000 Freestyle Grand Slam Tour here. Arjun prevailed over Abdusattorov 1.5-0.5 while Praggnanandhaa lost an intense battle 3-4 against Caruana. The American duo of Levon Aronian and Hans Moke Niemann were the other winners in the quarterfinal stage, defeating compatriot Hikaru Nakamura and Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan respectively. While Aronian won by a 2.5-1.5 margin over four games, Niemann took longer in beating Sindarov 4-2. In the semifinals, Arjun will take on Aronian while Niemann will meet Caruana. In the lower bracket, world number one Magnus Carlslen regained his winning touch and ousted Vidit Gujrathi 2-0. American Wesley So won 1.5-0.5 against compatriot Samuel Sevian while Leinier Dominguez Perez had a smooth 1.5-0.5 victory over Bibisara Assaubayeva of ...
International Master Divya Deshmukh, who is waiting to become a Grandmaster, had a tough day in office as she was outplayed by Zhu Jiner of China in the return game of the pre pre-quarterfinals in the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup here on Thursday. Divya, the only Indian up a point and looking to make her maiden entry into the quarterfinals of the prestigious tournament, fell just short of achieving it when she blew up her position in the middle game arising out of a not-so-formal Scotch Opening. Divya, to her credit, tried her best but salvaging the resulting endgame was almost impossible. However, the Indian is still in the fray thanks to her first-round victory against the Chinese. In fact, all the four Indians left in the fray are down to the tie-breaker. Koneru Humpy played another draw against Alexandra Kosteniuk, D. Harika played out a draw with Kateryna Lagno, while Meruert Kamalidenova of Kazakshtan kept R Vaishali in check to force a tiebreaker. Meanwhile, three Chinese
World champion D. Gukesh ended his campaign with a finely-crafted victory over Wesley So of the United States in the ninth and final round of the rapid section of Super United Rapid and Blitz Tournament, a part of the Grand Chess Tour. After five victories in a row on the second day, Gukesh played out a couple of draws on day 3 and eventually defeated Wesley to end on 14 points out of a possible 18. Overall in rapid, he had two draws, a loss against Duda Jan-Kryzsztof of Poland and six wins. With the rapid section ensuring two points for each win, the Indian ace now enjoys a healthy lead over Duda who drew the first two games and was poised to draw the third one too in the day. For Gukesh, the day started with a peaceful result against Dutchman Anish Giri when the players reached a nearly-locked position despite several pieces on the board. The players shook hands as neither side was able to make much progress. The second round was really interesting for Gukesh as he employed the .
Reigning world champion D Gukesh finally got his revenge on Magnus Carlsen, defeating the No.1 player for the first time in a classical game in Round 6 of Norway Chess here on Sunday. Days after Carlsen, the five-time world champion, inflicted a huge blow to Gukesh's chances in the opening round of the tournament, the world champion, who turned 19 only a few days back, struck back, catching the Norwegian by surprise just when it seemed he was on the verge of losing the game to earn three points. The Indian jumped to third spot with 8.5 points and now trails the world No.1 Gukesh and American Fabiano Caruana by just one point. It was a huge comeback for Gukesh, who had looked out of sorts in the opening game against Carlsen. He seemed to be losing Sunday's game as well before he turned things around to win his maiden Classical chess contest in 62 moves and over four hours of nerve-wracking chess. While Gukesh refused to speak to the media, his Polish coach Grzegorz Gajewski said the
World champion D Gukesh's disappointing season continued on Tuesday with the teenager losing his second successive match in Norway Chess -- this time to countrymate Arjun Erigaisi and failing to open his account after two rounds of the prestigious tournament here. A day after he lost to Magnus Carlsen in a thriller, Gukesh found himself being troubled by Erigaisi early and committing mistakes as time ran out. Erigaisi finally defeated Gukesh in 62 moves, forcing his opponent to resign after giving him a check with his knight. This is the second time this year that Gukesh, who will be turning 19 on Thursday, has lost to Erigaisi in a major tournament. Erigaisi, on the other hand, has justified the invitation given to him by the Norway Chess organisers by beating China's No.1 Wei Yi in Armageddon in the opening round and then getting the better of Gukesh in over four hours. Erigaisi, who beat Gukesh in Tata Steel Chess earlier this year in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands, to spoil his ..