Chess

Indian GM Iniyan lifts 6th La Plagne Open after dominant unbeaten run

Indian Grandmaster Iniyan Pa triumphed at the 6th La Plagne Open International Chess Tournament, delivering an unbeaten performance in the Masters category here. The tournament, which concluded on Friday, featured 142 players from 20 countries, including 13 Grandmasters and 22 International Masters. Iniyan scored 7.5 points from nine rounds to claim the title. The 23-year-old Indian remained unbeaten, registering six wins and three draws to finish as the clear winner. After receiving a first-round walkover and drawing his second-round game, Iniyan steadily built momentum with two consecutive victories. Following another draw in Round 5, he sealed the title with three successive wins, including crucial victories over GM Luca Moroni of Italy, who finished third, and IM Danyil Mosesov of Ukraine, who secured the runner-up spot. Heading into the final round with a one-point lead, Iniyan needed only a draw to confirm the title. He comfortably achieved the result by drawing his final-ro

Praggnanandhaa loses ground in Blitz as Alireza opens up lead in Croatia

Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa could not replicate his rapid form, managing just 3.5 points from the opening nine rounds of the blitz section, while France's Alireza Firouzja produced a brilliant display to emerge as the sole leader after the penultimate day of the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tour. Alireza was simply brilliant in the faster version as he knocked down as many as eight points out of a possible nine and took a massive three points lead on 20 points over nearest rivals Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France. Praggnaandhaa slipped behind to a distanced fourth on 15.5 points, while world champion D Gukesh had another average day to reach on 14 points for his fifth spot. In what can be termed one of the most dominant performances in Grand Chess Tour history, Firouzja has left half the field at least seven points adrift. Vincent Keymer of Germany is sixth on 13 points, Dutchman Anish Giri is another half a point behind, while Deac ...

Former world champion faces suspension over Naroditsky cheating allegation

The international governing body for chess suspended former world champion Vladimir Kramnik for at least a year after he leveled unproven allegations of cheating against fellow players, including Daniel Naroditsky, who died last year at age 29. Kramnik accused Naroditsky of cheating last year and continued to share suspicions on social media. Naroditsky, a prodigious chess player and American grandmaster who helped usher in the game's online boom with educational YouTube videos and livestreams, denied the allegations. Kramnik said in an email to The Associated Press that he plans to appeal the suspension on Friday. "I am absolutely confident that this unlawful verdict will ultimately be overturned, and I intend to pursue all necessary instances to the very end in order to restore justice and, in particular, my reputation," Kramnik said in a social media post. The chess federation said Kramnik publicly alleged cheating without "adequate evidentiary support," violating its rules agai

Praggnanandhaa emerges joint leader after Grand Chess Tour rapid games

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa won three matches in a row on the final day to tie for the first place with Firouzja Alireza of France on 12 points as the rapid section of the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tour ended here. Having fallen a little behind after the second day, Praggnanandhaa reserved his best for the last three rounds and defeated Ivan Saric of Croatia, Deac Bogdan-Daniel of Romania and Anish Giri of the Netherlands to finally catch up with Alireza. The other Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan remained within striking distance of the two leaders with a fine finish in the rapid section to reach 11 points while world champion D Gukesh of India and Vincent Keymer of Germany are right on their toes with 10 points each. With 18 rounds in the blitz section still to played, Giri is on eight points and is a full point ahead of Deac and Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands while Saric stands last with just two points in his bag. For

India banks on Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa at Zagreb Rapid and Blitz

World champion D Gukesh might have taken a sabbatical from classical chess but his commitment to major events remains intact and he will be up against some of the world's best players in the Zagreb Rapid and Blitz Tournament beginning here on Wednesday. The event is part of the Grand Chess Tour or GCT, which is the biggest platform to bring together top players. This will be the third event under the GCT brand this year with three more to come. This event will also feature Indian star R Praggnanandhaa, who is fresh from his victory at the Norway Chess ahead of none other than world number one Magnus Carlsen. The event will feature nine rounds of rapid and 18 rounds of blitz chess. Each rapid victory will be worth two points and a draw will fetch one point while in blitz, one point will be awarded for a win and a half for a draw. Gukesh had surprisingly walked out of the GCT citing his recent performances. The reigning world champion has to defend his title against Javokhir SIndar

The scandal that roiled the chess world, from cheating claims to bestseller

Ben Mezrich's Checkmate turns the Magnus Carlsen-Hans Niemann chess scandal into a gripping narrative, but factual errors undermine its credibility

Norway Chess title biggest achievement of my career: Praggnanandhaa

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

Norway Chess 2026: How Praggnanandhaa claimed the title that eluded India

Praggnanandhaa beat Vincent Keymer in the final round to win the Norway Chess 2026 title with a four-match winning streak

Praggnanandhaa makes history, becomes 1st Indian to win Norway Chess title

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

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