Page 12 - Chess

Chess World Cup: Gukesh to face world No.1 Magnus Carlsen in quarterfinals

Three Indian players D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi advanced to the quarterfinals of the FIDE World Cup chess tournament here on Sunday. Gukesh defeated China's Wang Hao 1.5-0.5 to set up a much-awaited quarterfinal clash against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen while Praggnanandhaa completed a win to book a match against compatriot Erigaisi, making sure an Indian will feature in the semifinal. After Saturday's win in game 1, Gukesh played a solid match with white pieces to secure a draw against Hao to book his spot in the quarterfinals. Carlsen defeated Ukrainian legend Vassily Ivanchuk in the second game to post a 2-0 win. Erigaisi settled for a quick draw against Sweden's Nils Grandelius to move into the last eight. Meanwhile, Vidit Gujrathi and D Harika drew for a second time against their respective Russian opponents and will play in Monday's tie-breaker. Gujrathi drew with fourth seed Ian Nepomniachtchi in 49 moves while Harika shared honours with second-seeded ...

GM Gukesh D overtakes Anand to become highest ranked Indian chess player

Teenaged Grandmaster D Gukesh posted a win over home favourite Misratdin Iskandarov in a second round match of the World Cup here on Tuesday and overtook his idol Viswanathan Anand in live world (FIDE) rankings. The 17-year old Gukesh outclassed Iskandarov of Azerbaijan in 44 moves in the second game of their second-round match. "Gukesh D won again today and has overcome Viswanathan Anand in live rating! There is still almost a month till next official FIDE rating list on September 1, but it's highly likely that 17-year-old will be making it to top 10 in the world as the highest-rated Indian player," the international chess federation (FIDE) said in a tweet. The latest gain of 2.5 rating points took Gukesh's live rating to 2755.9, while Anand's is 2754.0. As a result, Gukesh replaced Anand as the World No. 9 in live rankings while the five-time World champion slipped to 10th. Anand, who first made it to the World's top-10 in July 1991, has remained India's top-ranked player in all

NCLAT dismisses All India Chess Federation's appeal against CCI order

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has dismissed the appeal of the All India Chess Federation against an order passed by the fair trade regulator CCI on grounds of non-prosecution by the sports body. Appellate tribunal NCLAT, in its order, said the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has taken several adjournments despite being indicated on May 19, 2022, that no further adjournment shall be granted. The order said that on several occasions hearing has been adjourned on the prayer made by the federation on August 5, 2022, September 23, 2022, and December 12, 2022. "Today again a prayer for adjournment has been sought. It appears that the appellant is not interested to pursue the appeal. The appeal stands dismissed due to non-prosecution," said NCLAT in its order dated July 11, 2023. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) had in July 2018 penalised AICF and directed it to "cease and desist" from anti-competitive practices. The ruling had come on a complaint filed b

Asian Games: Koneru Humpy, Harika to spearhead India's challenge in chess

India will send a strong 10-member chess contingent, including double Asian Games gold medallist Koneru Humpy and bronze medallist Dronavalli Harika, for the continental games, scheduled to commence in Hangzhou on September 23. Vidit Gujrathi and young Arjun Erigaisi in men's and Humpy and Harika in women's section will compete in the individual categories. The men's team comprises Grandmasters D Gukesh, Gujrathi, Erigaisi, P Harikrishna and R Praggnanandhaa. In the women's section, Humpy, Harika, R Vaishali, Vantika Aggarwal and Savitha Shri will participate in the team event. All the players are coming off a gruelling Global Chess League (GCL), where they faced top-notch competition from some of the greatest chess players in the world, including Norway's five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen. The team announcement was made on Sunday during the General Body meeting of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) in Kanpur, which was chaired by its president Sanjay Kapoor. The 36-year

Chess has taught me to stay patient with my cricket: Yuzvendra Chahal

India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who knows a thing or two about chess, says playing the sport at a competitive level has helped him to stay patient while dealing with challenges in his cricket career. Chahal, who has represented India in the World Youth Chess Championship, has joined SG Alpine Warriors as their ambassador in the ongoing Global Chess League. "My first jerseys came from playing chess, and the sport has taught me patience over the years. And that helps me in my cricket because sometimes you may bowl well but not get a wicket, and it is then that patience is really needed," Chahal said in a press release on Monday. A well-known chess aficionado, Chahal explained that the sport has similarities with cricket because it is essential to plan your way through the game in both. "Chess and cricket are similar, but in cricket, you can show your aggression, but in chess, you can't. It is all about how calm you are in chess. "For example, if I am bowling, I can say something

Global Chess League 2023 starts from today: Everything you need to know

The Global Chess League 2023 will include a joint team structure with six players on each side, featuring at least two women; there will be six icons, six prodigies and 26 superstars in total

Global Chess League: Anand joins Ganges Grandmasters, Kings pick up Carlsen

Five-time world champions Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen were picked up by Ganges Grandmasters and SG Alpine Warriors respectively in the Players' Draft for the inaugural Global Chess League on Wednesday. The Global Chess League will be held from June 21 to July 2 at the Dubai Chess & Culture Club in association with the Dubai Sports Council. Six teams Ganges Grandmasters, SP Alpine Warriors, Triveni Continental Kings, Chingari Gulf Titans, upGrad Mumba Masters and Balan Alaskan Knights took part in the player draft held in Mumbai, roping in 36 front-line men and women chess players from across the globe. The players were divided into six categories: Icon, Superstar Men 1, Superstar Men 2, Superstar Women 1, Superstar Women 2 and Prodigy. Anand, Carlsen and reigning world champion Ding Liren, who was drafted in by Triveni Continental Kings, were the pick of Icon Players. The most notable draft in the Prodigy segment was India's chess whiz kid R Praggnanandhaa, the ...

Tech Mahindra, FIDE join hands for franchisee-based chess competition

Brings AI, VR and AR to improve fan experience; First edition to be held in Dubai, between June 21 and July 2

Carlsen's last gambit: Why World Chess Champion checked his title defence

As Norwegian Grandmaster ends his last game as reigning No. 1, a look at the chessboard of ratings and stages to the top

AICF claims pests destroyed records in response to query under RTI Act

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has claimed that records pertaining to a Right to Information (RTI) Act query by a player were destroyed by pests at its headquarters here, leading to a rebuke from the Central Information Commission. Responding to a query under the RTI Act seeking information on various issues by FIDE Master (FM) Gurpreet Pal Singh, the AICF claimed the records had been destroyed by pests. "Initially, they denied information stating that the case is pending in Madras High Court. Then they said records have been destroyed by pests and finally they denied it under section 8 (1)(d), (e), (j) of the act," Singh told PTI. "The commission did not agree with this and ordered them to provide information and admonished them for trying to misguide the commission and changing their stand," he added. He further said that "the AICF had earlier told the Competition Commission of India (CCI) that its records were destroyed by the floods in Chennai in 2015". At a hearing at

Lingering questions after a scandal

Cheating poses an existential challenge to chess. It's hard to know how it will be mitigated, but it must be, if chess is to continue being a legitimate sport

In light of Hans Niemann's Chess scandal: 10 cheating scandals in sports

Cheating in sports has existed as long as sports. Unfair advantage is sought by athletes and coaches to make sure they or their teams win at any cost. Here's a list of the 10 such instances

Carlsen beats India's Arjun Erigaisi to clinch Julius Baer Chess title

Norwegian Magnus Carlsen became the first player in the world to break the 2900 Tour Rating barrier following a crushing win over Indian teenager Arjun Erigaisi in Julius Baer Chess Cup

Julius Baer Chess Cup: Erigaisi enters semifinals, Praggnanandhaa bows out

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi edged out fellow teenager Christopher Yoo in the quarterfinals via tie-breaker to reach the last four round of the Julius Baer Generation Cup online rapid chess tournament on Friday. Erigiasi's compatriot R Praggnanandhaa, however, crashed out, losing 1-3 to Germany's Vincent Keymer. World champion Magnus Carlsen, a winner over Levon Aronian of USA), will face 17-year old Keymer while the other semifinal will feature Vietnam's Liem Quang Le and Erigaisi. The 19-year-old Erigaisi and 15-year-old Yoo were locked 2-2 after the four rapid games. The Indian won the opening game before his opponent bounced back to level. The same pattern was repeated in the next two games. In the blitz tie-break, Erigiasi won the first to seize the advantage and drew the second to progress to the semifinals. Praggnanandhaa suffered a setback when he went down in the opening game. The next two games ended in draws. With the 17-year-old Indian needing a win to force a ...

Carlsen vs Niemann: Cheating on chessboard

Ongoing scandal can dent the game's popularity

Chess cheating scandal: Why did Carlsen quit the match against Niemann?

In early September, Hans Niemann defeated Magnus Carlsen in the third round of the Sinquefield Cup in a stunning upset. Now, Carlsen quit the game with just one move. Read more to find out why

After cricket, cutting-edge tech set to transform football and chess too

A startup in Bengaluru has developed a sensor that helps batsmen and coaches gain insights on bat speed, impact speed, bat-lift angle, and bat path, with an option to replay the action in 360 degrees

Bengaluru teenager Pranav Anand becomes India's 76th Chess Grandmaster

Bengaluru teenager Pranav Anand became India's 76th Grandmaster after he crossed the 2,500 Elo mark in the ongoing World Youth Chess Championship in Mamaia, Romania. The 15-year-old, having already met the other requirements that are necessary for a GM title, achieved the honour late on Thursday. To become a GM, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points. Anand had scored the third and final GM norm at the 55th Biel Chess Festival in Switzerland in July. "He is passionate towards chess. Extremely interested and passionate towards the game. He can work for any number of hours," Anand's coach V Saravanan told PTI. "He is especially good in calculation and end games...they are his two biggest strengths right now," Saravanan said about his ward's ninth round win in the under-16 section of the World Youth Chess Championship 2022. "Also, the most important reason for Pranav's achievement is the dedication of his family, his mother, father...They

FTX Crypto Cup: Praggnanandhaa beats Carlsen, but loses out on top prize

Young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa produced a superb performance, wining three straight games including two in the blitz tie-breaks to outwit world No.1 Magnus Carlsen 4-2 in the final round of the FTX Crypto Cup here on Monday. However, despite the win over Carlsen, the 17-year old could only take second place in the final standings. The Norwegian won the top prize on the basis of a higher score. He finished with 16 match points to the Indian prodigy's tally of 15. "I've been playing badly all day, but now I'm getting the results I deserve... it's never good to lose, but this is as good a time as any!," Carlsen said after the match. Alireza Firouzja, another highly-rated teen and a prodigy, also finished on 15 points but had to settle for third place as he had lost the clash against Praggnanandhaa earlier. The first two games of the Carlsen-Praggnanandhaa match were drawn before the world No.1 went ahead by clinching the third. In a surprise turn of events, the Indian won

FTX Crypto Cup: Chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa records four wins in a row

Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa handed world No.6 Levon Aronian a 3-1 thrashing in the fourth round to notch up his fourth consecutive win in the FTX Crypto Cup, the American finale of Champions Chess Tour, on Friday. The 17-year old Indian is in joint lead with 12 match points along with world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, who defeated Quang Liem Le of China 3-1. Praggnanandhaa won the third game with white pieces after the first two in the four-game match ended in a stalemate. First, he won with white pieces to take a 2-1 lead after game three and stormed to victory in 44 moves in the fourth to seal an emphatic win over the acclaimed American star. Having started his campaign with victory over Alireza Firouzja, the Indian GM has subsequently beaten Anish Giri and Hans Nieman. Carlsen, meanwhile, secured a similar result, winning games three and four after the first two were drawn. The duo of Praggnanandhaa and Carslen have a four-point lead over Alireza Firouzja, the world No.4 and the