Page 7 - Chess

Gukesh aims to take one game at a time, hopeful for more successful days

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh on Tuesday said he is focussed on taking it one game at a time and is hoping for "many more good days" as he aims to upstage Ding Liren and become the youngest world champion in chess. Playing with black pieces, the 18-year-old Gukesh bounced back to draw the second game against defending champion Liren of China in the World Chess Championship here. This was a day after Liren (black) exploited Gukesh's blunder in a French Defense match to clinch the first game. "Today was a good day, and hopefully, we will have many more good days coming," Gukesh said at the end of the second game. Gukesh has thanked his second, Grzegorz Gajewski, for the manner in which he has been helping the Indian in his endeavour. "'Gaju' (Gajewski) is not only helping me with chess, but also helping me get ready mentally and to keep my well-being. He said a few things which helped me recover quickly," Gukesh said of the Polish GM, who was beaten by the Indian when they met at the

D Gukesh draws with Ding Liren in second game of World Championship

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh drew with defending champion Ding Liren in the second game of the World Chess Championship here on Tuesday. Gukesh, playing with black pieces, had lost to Liren in the opener of the 14-game showdown, on Monday. The first player to reach 7.5 points among the two will claim the coveted crown in the USD 2.5 million prize money event. The 18-year-old Gukesh is the youngest ever challenger to the world crown and is looking to become the first Indian after the iconic Viswanathan Anand to win the title. Anand held the title five times in his illustrious career.

China's Ding Liren beats Gukesh in first game of World Championship

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh paid dearly for unwarranted complications in the middle game, allowing defending champion Ding Liren of China to clinch the opening game of the World Chess Championship here on Monday. The 18-year-old Gukesh, who is the youngest ever challenger for the world championship crown, came up with an early surprise in the opening by pushing his king pawn forward. It's a move that symbolises attacking intentions and the Chinese chose the French defense to combat the situation. The line chosen by Gukesh was similar to what the legendary Viswanathan Anand picked in his first world championship-winning contest against Alexei Shirov of Spain in 2001. The choice of move had enough impact as Liren spent a lot of time in the opening that was probably not expected by any expert of the game. By the 12th move, Gukesh had a half hour advantage on the clock but eight moves later, Liren had a couple of extra minutes to boast off on his clock, giving a clear indication that

Gukesh is 'significant favourite' in World C'ship clash vs Ding: Carlsen

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen of Norway feels that on current form Indian star D Gukesh is the favourite to win the World Chess Championship title against Ding Liren of China in the summit clash beginning later this month. Gukesh will take on defending champion Ding in the World Chess Championship to be held from November 25 till December 15 in Singapore. The 18-year-old Indian made it to the summit clash after emerging triumphant in the Candidates Tournament, held in Toronto earlier this year. "I'm not going to have anything particularly unique to say about the match. Based on the current form, Gukesh is a significant favourite," Carlsen said on Friday after winning the TATA Steel Chess India Rapid tournament here. "Based on peak chess ability, I think it's quite even. So, if Ding can regain that form, he has a good chance. Also, Gukesh was quite vulnerable in the last tournament that he played. "But all that aside, if I were to predict at this point, I'd go with the guy who's playe

Arjun Erigaisi rises to No.2 in world rankings after win in Chennai Masters

India's Arjun Erigaisi leapfrogged to second place in the world chess rankings thanks to his victory over Alexey Sarana in the Chennai Grand Masters 2024 here on Thursday. He is jointly leading the Masters category alongside Amin Tabatabaei after three rounds. Starting with the black pieces, Arjun reacted to Sarana's Queen's Pawn Opening as he engaged him in the Indian Game before swiftly going for an East Indian Defense. Both players knocked off their kings early in the tie while remaining locked in an intense battle before Arjun earned the upper hand, converting it into his competition's second win. As a result, the 21-year-old has reclaimed his 2,800 ELO rating, going past Fabiano Caruana to take the second place in the world rankings. Also in Round 3 of the Masters category, Amin Tabatabaei caused a big upset as he beat French Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with his unique tactical precision. In the meantime, Levon Aronian came up with a dominant victory over Parham ...

Chennai Grand Masters: Top ranked Erigaisi to face Gujarathi in 1st round

World No. 4 Indian chess grandmaster and top seed Arjun Erigaisi will open his Chennai Grand Masters campaign against compatriot Vidit Gujarathi, starting here on Tuesday. Erigaisi will play for the first time in India after crossing the historic 2800 ELO ranking mark when he takes the board. The eight-player strong classical event will see Aravindh Chithambaram take on Iranian Amin Tabatabaei, Vachier-Lagrave Maxime will face Maghsoodloo Parham and American Grandmaster Levon Aronian will play Alexey Sarana in the opening round. The second edition of the seven round competition will also feature a Challengers event featuring female players for the first time. Organised by MGD1 with ChessBase India, and sponsored by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, the tournament will be held at the 1,100-seat Anna Centenary Library. The event will also feature two Indian women -- Harika Dronavalli and Vaishali Rameshbabu. The Challengers participants, will fight for a prize pool of

'Mind Guru' Paddy Upton to train Gukesh ahead of World title shot

Upton, known for guiding the Indian men's cricket team to their 2011 World Cup victory and helping the men's hockey team secure Olympic bronze this year, started mentoring Gukesh four months ago.

All India FIDE Rating Open Chess: Shraddha beats Kirti in third round

Shraddha Padvekar (3 points) defeated Woman Candidate Master Kriti Patel (2 points) in a third-round match of the All India FIDE Rating Open Chess Tournament here on Sunday. The Palghar-based Shraddha (rating 1588) started with the English opening, while Kirti (1829) opted for a neo-Catalan defence in their contest. Shraddha was able to come out on top against Kirti, who had recorded impressive victories earlier, to win in 63 moves on the sixth board. Delhi's Arena International Master Saikat Nath (2 points) and Mumbai's International Master Vikramaditya Kulkarni (2 points) maintained their winning form, recording their third successive wins. AIM Nath (1829) defeated Mumbai's Shravana Agraval (1582) on the seventh board, while IM Vikramaditya (2185) brushed aside the challenge from Agharkar Shriyans (1612) on the top board. Top 10 results (round-3): Agharkar Shriyans (2) lost to IM Vikramaditya Kulkarni (2) 0-1; Atharv Soni (2) drew with Shubham Baviskar (2) 0.5-0.5; Shubham Kanad

Mumba Masters stuns Alpine Sg Pipers 14-5, Carlsen loses to Maxime

Mumba Masters secured a vital 14-5 win over Alpine Sg Pipers on day six of the Global Chess League here on Tuesday, dealing a major blow to the Pipers' chances of closing in on the top two teams. Despite a strong start to the season, Mumba Masters struggled and lost five matches, including a heavy 4-12 defeat to the Pipers, earlier in the event. But this time, they bounced back decisively to climb from the bottom of the standings to fourth place, just behind the Pipers. The match began with a quiet draw on the women's board between Hou Yifan and Humpy Koneru, but the momentum soon shifted dramatically. Former world champion Magnus Carlsen, playing on the icon board for the Pipers, blundered against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, suffering a shock loss that left him visibly shaken as he stormed out of the playing area. In response, Pipers' Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa launched a fierce attack against Vidit Gujrathi's black king, securing a crucial win to keep his team in the contest. Peter

Vidit Gujrathi says Chess has always lacked a bit of professionalism

After becoming a Grandmaster at the age of 16 and having achieved tremendous success over the years, leading Indian chess player Vidit Gujrathi feels the sport has lacked professionalism in scheduling of events that, more often than not, adversely affects the players' wellbeing. Gujrathi, who was a part of India's gold-winning campaign in the Chess Olympiad recently, says the sport's ecosystem needs a major overhaul to ensure players have more balance in life. Yeah, it's not ideal because we are just playing back-to-back tournaments. It comes at the cost of, let's say, personal life or living in the comfort of your home. You are always on the go," Gujrathi told PTI on the sidelines of Global Chess League here. "And it cannot be good for the physical body because you are not in one place. Your schedule is changing all the time. So, there is that cost (we have to pay for playing chess). I feel chess has always lacked a bit of professionalism when it comes to these things, when it co

Anand, Carlsen play out a draw in opening day of Global Chess League

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen played out a draw in the top duel of the opening day as the second edition of the Global Chess League began with players from around the world squaring off here on Thursday. The game between the two heavyweights from India and Norway ended in a draw, with Carlsen managing to steady the ship after a tough middle game. In the first two matches of the day, American Gambits and Alpine SG Pipers emerged as victors, setting the pace for the competition. The packed venue at Friends House erupted in applause as players entered the playing hall, dressed in team jerseys in an atmosphere more akin to a football match than a chess tournament. The opening match of the season was played between the American Gambits and season one runners up Mumba Masters. According to league regulations, each match starts with a coin toss to decide the colours. For this round, the American Gambits played with the white pieces. As this is a round-ro

TechM's opening move with Global Chess League to popularise chess

Fan Nxt, TechM's platform, will provide answers to these questions by offering fans an interactive experience through AI, augmented reality, and even virtual reality

Indian chess needs corporate support: Ideal chance for firms to engage

The inevitable din that is building up after the Olympiad victory is whether we are doing enough for our newly minted chess champions?

Olympiad winner Vidit Gujrathi says playing chess was a happy accident

Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi was just another Indian kid who dreamt of becoming a cricketer in his childhood before an accidental initiation to chess, which he feels was a "very happy accident". Gujrathi was part of the five-member Indian men's team that won a historic gold in the open category of the recent Olympiad in Budapest. To make the achievement more memorable, the Indian women's team also bagged the gold, making it double celebration for the country. "It was accidental. I was six-years-old and I was very mischievous as a child. My parents wanted to engage me in some activity. I used to play cricket like every Indian kid," Gujrathi told PTI in an interview. "He took me to a club and there cricket was played with season ball, so my Dad said to me wait for a year and then play cricket, till then pick another sport. So I started chess. "My father taught me and I wanted to win against him, so that was the motivation. It was an accident but a very happy accident," he added The ..

Viswanathan Anand believes Olympiad win will elevate women's chess in India

Overjoyed by India's remarkable dual triumph at the Chess Olympiad, five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand said that while this marks a promising beginning, there is still much work to be done for women's chess in the country. India scripted history on Sunday as both its men's and women's teams secured their first-ever titles, achieving a remarkable clean sweep of gold medals at the Chess Olympiad. But while in recent times, the men's game has surged in popularity with young Indian talents like R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh making waves on the world stage, in contrast, the women's game has struggled to match this trajectory. "It's a very good beginning. I think still a long way to go because we must continuously keep progressing," Anand told PTI, at the sidelines of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. "And more important, get more and more girls to play and I think exactly this result will inspire more girls to play, and that is the hope," he added. The 54-year-old chess icon

Gukesh started chess as an extra-curricular activity: Coach Bhaskar

It all started as an extra-curricular activity in school, which later became a life-long passion for D Gukesh and led to him becoming one of the best chess exponents in the world. Grandmaster Gukesh, on Sunday, made history by leading India to its first-ever chess Olympiad gold in the 'Open' category in Budapest. Gukesh's childhood coach, V Bhaskar, who spotted his talent at the Velammal Vidyalaya when he was just seven years old, said he saw in him the hunger to excel at a very tender age. "We started when he (Gukesh) was in class 1 at Velammal Vidyalaya. He used to come for extracurricular activities. I saw a spark in him at the age of seven and asked him to come for personal training, and we worked for many years," said Bhaskar about the third-youngest GM in history of the game, who will compete against Ding Liren of China for the world title later this year. Bhaskar added that Gukesh was indeed a child prodigy who liked to experiment with his game from early days. "He started

Chess Olympiad: Indian men, women create history, win maiden gold medals

India on Sunday scripted history as its men's and women's teams clinched their maiden gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad after beating their respective opponents in the final round here. The men's team defeated Slovenia after D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanadhaa won their respective matches in the 11th and final round match. The women's team beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title. Indian men had earlier won two bronze -- in 2014 and 2022 -- in the tournament. Indian women had won a bronze in the 2022 edition in Chennai.

Rahul Gandhi wishes luck to team India for gold at Chess Olympiad

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Sunday wished Team India ahead of the decisive rounds at the Chess Olympiads, saying now is the time to seize the gold and show the world what India is made of. Grandmaster and World Championship challenger D Gukesh put it across Fabiano Caruana of United States to raise hopes of a maiden gold medal for the Indian men in the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest. Indian women's team is also a favourite for the gold medal. "Wishing Team India all the success as you step into the decisive rounds of the Chess Olympiad, both in the Open and Women's sections!" Gandhi said on X. "You're on the verge of making history today. Your relentless dedication and exceptional skills have led you to this moment. Now is the time to seize the gold and show the world what India is made of," the former Congress chief said. Gandhi, himself an avid chess player, was seen in a video put out by the Congress some months back, talking about his interest in the

Chess Olympiad: Gukesh beats Caruana as India close in on maiden Gold

Grandmaster and World Championship challenger D Gukesh put it across Fabiano Caruana of United States to raise visions of a maiden gold medal for the Indian men in the 45th Chess Olympiad here. Set to play the next World championship match in Singapore in November, Gukesh played another tough game showcasing his steely nerves against the top seeded teams and also beating higher ranked Caruana. It was a Catalan opening wherein Gukesh got the complications running in his favour in the later stages of the middle game after grabbing a pawn. Under pressure, Caruana crumbled like a cookie and soon after lost a second pawn to let Gukesh enter a winning endgame. Earlier, R Praggananandhaa went down fighting against Wesley So to give the American team an early lead but the Indian men were in no danger anytime as Arjun Erigaise was always in command against Lenier Dominguez Perez. Arjun won after over five hours of play, while Vidit Gujrathi played a rock-solid game against Levon Aronian.

45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024: What has happened in Budapest so far

Indian men's team are currently favorites to win gold in the open section after continuing their unbeaten streak in round 8