Chess

How R Praggnanandhaa turned the tables on world champion D Gukesh

While Gukesh struggled to convert his world title into sustained tournament success, Praggnanandhaa continued collecting elite results

Final round to decide Norway Chess champion as Praggnanandhaa stays alive

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

Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Divya shine as India stays in title contention

Indians struck back in style in Round 7 as D Gukesh and R Praggnanandhaa delivered crucial victories while Divya Deshmukh bounced back from her previous-round setback to beat compatriot Koneru Humpy, reigniting the country's challenge as the Norway Chess title race entered its decisive phase here. World champion Gukesh salvaged 1.5 points from his clash against American Grandmaster Wesley So, securing victory in the Armageddon tie-break after letting a winning opportunity slip in the classical game, to move to eight points overall. He, however, remained rooted to the bottom of the six-player double round-robin standings. Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, handed French Grandmaster Alireza Firouzja a second successive classical defeat to collect the full three points and climb to nine, but the gains did little to alter the standings, with the young Indian GM remaining fifth and Gukesh sixth. However, both Indians stayed within touching distance of the leaders and could yet make a late charg

Norway Chess: Indian players endure winless day with four defeats

The Indian contingent endured a miserable outing as all four players suffered defeats in Round 6, with world champion D Gukesh slipping back to losing ways after showing encouraging signs in the previous round, while R Praggnanandhaa, Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy also ended on the wrong side of the results in Norway Chess here. In stark contrast to the Indians' collective collapse, defending champion and world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen continued his resurgence, securing a classical victory to thrust himself firmly back into title contention. The Norwegian, who had looked surprisingly vulnerable in the opening rounds, is suddenly gathering momentum at just the right time, turning what seemed an unlikely campaign into a genuine charge for the crown on home soil. Yet Carlsen's resurgence has been overshadowed by an unexpected frontrunner. Wesley So of the United States emerged as the sole leader with four rounds remaining after dislodging Alireza Firouzja from the top, while both Carlsen

Norway Chess: D Gukesh downs Praggnanandhaa to revive title hopes

A day after turning 20, D Gukesh rediscovered both his spark and his smile, defeating compatriot R Praggnanandhaa in a gripping classical battle to pocket three full points and reignite his campaign in Norway Chess here. Reigning champion Magnus Carlsen's woes deepened as he lost to American Grandmaster Wesley So, leaving the world No. 1 at the bottom of the six-player standings after five rounds. The victory lifted So to second place on 8.5 points, behind tournament leader Alireza Firouzja, who maintained his grip on the top spot with 10 points and has so far dominated the field. For Gukesh, now on 6.5 points and in sole third place, the victory seemed to breathe life back into the venue. Fans, who had packed the arena, flocked around the world champion for autographs, selfies and photographs, while Gukesh himself appeared far more relaxed after a difficult few days in which he had often slipped quietly out of the playing hall following disappointing results. Praggnanandhaa, on s

Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa earn hard-fought Armageddon wins in Norway Chess

D Gukesh emerged victorious after a bruising, nerve-jangling marathon battle against Vincent Keymer, and R Praggnanandhaa outplayed Alireza Firouzja but world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen suffered a rare opening-round defeat at Norway Chess, which began amid towering bookshelves at the historic Deichman Bjorvika public library here. Thanks to his Armageddon triumph after a draining 144-move slugfest that lasted nearly five hours, Gukesh pocketed 1.5 points, while Keymer settled for one after the classical game had ended in a stalemate. The marathon encounter saw the Indian world champion visibly rattled in the closing stages, even seeking clarification from the arbiter over the move count as the game drifted towards an inevitable draw despite Keymer being a pawn up. The German, however, remained ice-cool throughout the classical battle, continuing to press on before eventually losing the Armageddon decider. But the tie-break itself ended swiftly, with Gukesh unleashing the decisive 15.Bh6,

D Gukesh accepts criticism after string of underwhelming performances

Reigning world champion D Gukesh is not ruffled by the barrage of criticism that has come his way in the past 18 months as the young Indian Grandmaster believes all of it is justified given his underwhelming form. Gukesh, who will turn 20 on May 29, is here to compete in the Norway Chess Tournament and opens his campaign against Germany's Vincent Keymer on Monday. He would be eager to turn things around and log some strong results in the lead-up to his world title defence against challenger Javokhir Sindarov later this year. "Most of it (critical comments made by former greats) I don't see, but there are some that I have heard and I think it's fair," said Gukesh on Sunday. "I have not been performing well in the last one-and-a-half year and I think I would say that my performances have been way below expectations. They (critics) have the right to say what they feel and I have the right to do my best," added the reticent teenager while seated alongside one of his critics, former worl

Datanomics: Creating history on 64 squares as Vaishali Rameshbabu shines

In the last decade, Ukraine won two Women's World Champions, followed by one champion each from Hungary, Bulgaria and Russia

In black and white: Viswanathan Anand reflects on board games, life lessons

'Chess benefits everyone. That's what my message is everywhere I go,' anand says, looking utterly at peace with the life that he has led and what he has accomplished so far

R Vaishali beats Keteryna Lagno to become Women's Candidates champion

Often mentioned alongside her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali has now stepped firmly into the spotlight with this landmark achievement.

Divya storms into joint lead, Pragg hopes all but over in Candidates

Indian chess sensation Divya Deshmukh pulled off a superb turnaround converting what looked like a certain draw into victory to climb into joint lead, while compatriot R Praggnanandhaa saw his title hopes take a major hit after a loss against Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri in the eighth round, leaving him almost out of contention for a top finish in the Candidates tournament here. In the women's section World Cup winner Deshmukh turned the tables on overnight leader Anna Muzychuk to jump into joint lead with four others including the Ukrainian on 4.5 points from what had seemed a difficult position to defend. Deshmukh did well to fight on and equalise and then capitalised on an unforced error by her opponent in the queen-and-pawns endgame to score a vital victory. The other Indian, R. Vaishali drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan to join Deshmukh, Kateryna Lagno of Ukraine, China's Zhu Jiner and Muzychuk in the lead on 4.5 points after eight games. The event is wide open now

Indian-origin Bodhana Sivanandan becomes England's top female chess player

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 .

Praggnanandhaa loses to Sindarov, slips to third in Candidates Tournament

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

Haaland backs Norway Chess expansion with new tour investment

Football superstar Erling Haaland has become a strategic investor in Norway Chess and its newly launched Total Chess World Championship Tour (TCWCT). Norway Chess has taken a major step with the launch of TCWCT, which has been approved by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) for a minimum of 16 years. Together with Norwegian business leader Morten Borge, the Manchester City striker has established the company Chess Mates, which will be a significant owner of Norway Chess. "Chess is an incredible game. It sharpens your mind, and there are clear similarities to football. You have to think quickly, trust your instincts, and think several moves ahead. Strategy and planning are everything", Haaland said in a media release. "I'm investing in Norway Chess because I believe the new Total Chess World Championship Tour can turn chess into an even bigger sport for spectators around the world. The team behind Norway Chess has already done an impressive job growing the event, and joining t

Nihal Sarin wins Tata Steel Chess India 2026 Open Rapid, Anand finishes 2nd

Nihal's victory was highlighted by a crucial win in the penultimate round, where he faced USA's Wesley So.

Sports@2025: Of crowns, cracks and goodbyes that shaped the sporting year

Landmark wins, uneasy moments and defining exits shaped the sporting year

World Rapid: Erigaisi, Gukesh level with Carlsen for joint lead after R5

Reigning classical world champion D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and world No.1 Magnus Carlsen were among the leaders after the first five rounds on the opening day of the FIDE World Rapid Championships here on Thursday. The trio shared the top spot on 4.5 points alongside Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Vladislav Artemiev. Carlsen was in great form on day one winning the four games easily but he was held to a draw in the fifth and final round by Erigaisi late on Friday as both ended up on 4.5 points. In the Queen's Gambit Declined, the Norwegian and the young Indian GM went for a line which quickly transitioned into an equal queen and rook endgame. Carlsen did push hard for victory but eventually reached a rook ending where he had had two extra f and h pawns. This theoretically drawn position requires precision from the weaker side which Erigaisi demonstrated, denying Carlsen the perfect score on the opening day. After an unimpressive showing in the Global Chess League in Mumbai recently, .

Best of BS Opinion: China must find political will to rebalance economy

Today's opinion pieces offer a sharp mix of macro and culture: China's demand shortfall, Prada's Kolhapuri move, the rupee's policy trilemma, why RBI needs better data, and a candid chess memoir.

At 3, Indian prodigy Sarwagya becomes youngest ever with a FIDE rating

Indian chess talent Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha has become the youngest to earn an official FIDE rating after winning five matches against higher-rated opponents

FIDE World Cup 2025 Round 4: Arjun, Pragg in spotlight after Gukesh's exit

Erigaisi, the country's top-rated player, takes on veteran Hungarian Peter Leko, while Praggnanandhaa faces the inventive Daniil Dubov under the FIDE flag