Page 7 - Chess

'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

Indian chess players great at grabbing opportunities: Viswanathan Anand

"Slowly transitioning" from a world champion competitor to a mentor-cum-sports administrator, chess icon Viswanathan Anand feels the current crop of Indian players, that he has had a role in shaping, has turned out to be "great" in grabbing crucial opportunities. The 54-year-old, among the all-time greats of Indian sports with five world titles to his credit, is set to have a rare competitive outing at the Tech-Mahnindra Global Chess League come next month in London where he will be part of the Ganges Grandmasters team. In an interview to PTI, Anand shared his thoughts on India's chances at the Chess Olympiad starting on Wednesday, his impressions of the country's Olympic and Paralympic performance, the golden generation of young players that he has helped groom and also his own plans going forward. Widely credited for shaping the likes of youngest ever world championship challenger D Gukesh, and R Praggnanandhaa among others, Anand said he played a small part and shared the credit

Grand chess tour: R Praggnanandhaa finishes last in rapid section

Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa had a rare bad in the office, finishing at the bottom of the table in the rapid section of Saint Louis Rapid and blitz chess tournament here. Having lost three and drawn three coming into the third and final day of rapid competition, Praggnanadhaa lost to Lenier Dominguez of the United States in the seventh round. Another American Hikaru Nakamura also proved too stronger for the Indian in the final game. In in the eighth round, the Indian played out a draw with Alireza Firouzja of France to finish his event at a disappointing four points out of a possible 18. Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and French duo of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Firouzja were tied for the top spot on 11 points each in what was one of the closely contested rapid section of the Grand Chess tour. The three leaders at this point are followed by Armenian-turned-American Levon Aronian, a full point behind, and USA's Wesley So, Dominguez and Nakamura, who share the fifth on nine poin

Chess scandal: Russian champion caught poisoning opponent with mercury

Russian chess champion Amina Abakarova has been suspended after she poisoned her former rival, Umayganat Osmanova, by lacing chess pieces with toxic mercury during a tournament

IIT Madras introduces plans to make India a global chess powerhouse

IIT Madras Centre of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA) on Saturday unveiled plans to make India a global chess powerhouse using technology-driven tools. The initiative is aimed at enhancing fan engagement, providing solutions for federations to flag cheating and chess training programmes to further grow the sports at the grassroots level, the institute said. This was revealed at the Sports Tech Start Up Conclave' being organised in New Delhi by IIT Madras CESSA, a release here said. The conclave is sponsored by Dream Sports, Vedanta and SFA Play. Addressing the conclave, Sandip Pradhan, Director-General, Sports Authority of India (SAI) said, "we will be very happy to collaborate through IIT Madras CESSA to support products that can be integrated into sports bodies." "We would like to be shown the path to support various stakeholders in the sports ecosystem through this forum," he said and added that the entire country was proud of IIT Madras, especially the way it

Joined by Gujarathi, test of time for Gukesh to excel in faster version

World Championship challenger D Gukesh will look to improve his billing in the faster version as Vidit Gujrathi joins him for the Superunited rapid and blitz chess tournament, a part of the Grand Chess Tour. Set to meet Chinese Ding Liren in Singapore from November 20th to decide the next world champion, Gukesh has repeatedly proved his superior ability in the Classical format. But when it comes to faster version, the Indian is yet to find his place amongst the world elite. The fact remains that in case of a tied result in the World Championship, there will be games under faster time control of rapid and blitz chess to determine the winner and Gukesh would like to set the record straight like American Fabiano Caruana just did a few days back in Bucharest when he won the tiebreaker by a mile winning his games against Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Alireza Firouzja of France. Gujrathi, who has got a wildcard, will be the other Indian in the fray in the USD 175000 prize money tournament

9-yr-old Indian-origin girl chess prodigy to be youngest in England team

Bodhana Sivanandan, a nine-year-old Indian-origin schoolgirl is set to make chess history after she became the youngest person selected to represent England internationally in any sport. Bodhana, from Harrow in north-west London, will join the England Women's Team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, in September. The others in her team are all in their 20s, 30s or 40s. "I found out yesterday after I came back from school when my dad told me. I was happy. I hope I'll do well and I'll get another title," she told the BBC on Wednesday. Malcolm Pein, manager of the England chess team, described the schoolgirl as one of the most remarkable British chess prodigies he has ever seen. "It's exciting she's on course to be one of the best British players ever," he said. Her father, Siva Sivanandan, says he remains mystified about where his daughter got her talent. "I'm an engineering graduate, as is my wife, but I'm not good at chess, he said. Bodhana first picked up chess during