Page 8 - Chess

Gukesh vs Liren: Singapore wins bid for 2024 FIDE World Championships match

Singapore will host the 2024 World Championship match between India's chess sensation D Gukesh and defending champion Ding Liren from China, FIDE announced on Monday The development means that Gukesh won't compete on home turf as neither Delhi nor Chennai could secure the hosting rights for the much-anticipated event which will be held between November 20 and December 15. "The Singapore Chess Federation, supported by the Government of Singapore, has won the bid to host the FIDE World Championship Match 2024," FIDE said in a release. "After reviewing the bids and inspecting all potential host cities for their venues, amenities, event programs, and opportunities, the International Chess Federation has selected Singapore as the host of the World Championship Match," FIDE added in the release.

Delhi joins Chennai, Singapore in race to host chess World Championship

Delhi has joined Chennai and Singapore in the race to host the World Championship match between D. Gukesh and China's Ding Liren after the All India Chess Federation backed the national capital's bid while accusing the Tamil Nadu government of acting unilaterally by pushing the southern city's name. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) CEO Emil Sutovsky on Saturday said all three cities have submitted their bids and they "meet the criteria". Sutovsky added Chennai was the first to bid for the much-anticipated match in November-December this year, while the New Delhi bid came in last. "Three bids to host the FIDE World Championship Match-2024. Chennai, Singapore, New Delhi (in order of submission). All meet the criteria," Sutovsky wrote on 'X'. The international chess body's council will discuss the issue and announce the winner later this month. "Next week FIDE Council to discuss it -- representatives of the bidders invited to share details and take questions. Final decision

Norway Chess: Praggnanandhaa claims maiden classical win over Carlsen

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa crushed world number one Magnus Carlsen for the first time in Classical format to emerge as the sole leader in the Norway chess tournament here. Having beating him a few times in online and faster versions of the game and after losing to him in the finale of the last World Cup, Praggnanandhaa finally got past the home favourite in what would be known as a clear classical triumph. Following the third-round win, the 18-year-old Indian now leads the men's section with 5.5 points in all, half a point clear of USA's Fabiano Caruana who scored his first victory in classical against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China. Carlsen, on three points, looks like a distant third for now in the updated standings but with each classical win worth three points, this might not hold for too long. Hikaru Nakamura of United States, Firouzja Alireza of France and Liren are all joint fourth currently on 2.5 points in the six-player double round-robin contest. "

Playing Carlsen in his home turf not challenge for me, says Praggnanandhaa

Having beaten Magnus Carlsen several times in the last couple of years, young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa feels he will be under no pressure when he takes on the multiple-time world champion in his home turf during the Norway Chess tournament, which gets underway here on May 27. Praggnanandhaa last beat the 33-year-old Carlsen in the Superbet rapid and blitz tournament, a part of the Grand Chess Tour, in Warsaw earlier this month. "I don't think playing Magnus in his home turf is a challenge for me. Usually, it matters to the player playing in his home but it won't matter so much for me," said Praggnanandhaa, who will also have his sister R. Vaishali playing the Norway Chess Women's Tournament for the first time. The 11-day tournament will see a very strong field including the likes of world champion Ding Liren and Hikaru Nakamura besides home favourite Carlsen. Reflecting on his contest with Carlsen at last year's FIDE World Cup where Praggnanandhaa gave the Norwegian a .

AICF president announces Rs 65 cr budget for 'Bharatiya Chess' ecosystem

The president of the All-India Chess Federation Nitin Narang on Saturday announced a Rs 65 crore budget to bolster the 'Bharatiya Chess' and its ecosystem to unparalleled heights. Following a meeting late Saturday evening, decisions were taken on key initiatives, including financial and institutional support for the professional players, along with the grassroots level players. It would also include the launch of two special programs -- AICF Pro and AICF Popular -- to promote chess on a wider scale across the country. Among the other proposals discussed during the meeting were coming up with a chess development fund, introducing strong financial backing with player contracts and coaching across levels, financially supporting district and state associations, setting up a state-of-the-art National Chess Arena (NCA) for elite-level training and an AICF Rating system. Below are some of the key initiatives set to be introduced by the AICF: One Nation, One Registration' -- An innovative

Hope my joke not seen as expertise: Kasparov after post on Rahul goes viral

Russian chess great Garry Kasparov hoped that his "little joke" on Indian politics does not pass for "advocacy or expertise" after his cheeky social media post on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's love for the game went viral. Within hours of asking Gandhi to "first win Rae Bareli before challenging for the top", the 61-year-old said it was just a joke and should be seen as one. "I very much hope my little joke does not pass for advocacy or expertise in Indian politics! But as an 'all-seeing monster with 1000 eyes,' as I was once described, I cannot fail to see a politician dabbling in my beloved game!" the former world champion, who retired in 2005, wrote in response to a post by actor Ranvir Shorey. Shorey's comment appeared to be a dig at Gandhi's recent assertion that he was the best chess player among all Indian politicians. Kasparov gave the same reply to a few other accounts which commented on his original post. The Congress recently shared a video of Gandhi playing chess on his ..

FIDE opens bidding process for World Championship, sets budget of $9.6 mn

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) will have to shell out more than Rs 80 crore (USD 9.6 million) if it intends to host the World Championship clash between Indian prodigy D Gukesh and reigning champion Ding Liren of China. The marquee match is tentatively scheduled between November 20 to December 15. Chess' global governing body FIDE on Saturday invited tenders from prospective bidders for the much-anticipated match. AICF's newly-elected secretary Dev Patel on Thursday expressed the national body's willingness to host the grand finale which is garnering a lot of interest due to Gukesh's presence. The 17-year-old Gukesh became the youngest ever challenger for the world title by winning the Candidates Tournament in Toronto on Monday. The basic criteria outlined by FIDE for a prospective bidder is a budget of Rs 8.5 million (Rs 71 crore approx) and a facilitation fee of USD 1.1 million (Rs 9 crore) for the global body. The duration of the tournament is 25 days and approval of ...

Surge in India's chess talent: What it means for the future of the game

Chances are, wherever you live, there is a chess coach in the vicinity. Many schools offer chess as an extra-curricular activity

King at 17, Chennai lad Gukesh sets his sights on chess World Championship

The Toronto win makes D Gukesh the youngest World Championship contender in chess history

Meet D Gukesh: Chess's brightest young star

India's 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh scripted history by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament to become the youngest ever challenger to the world title.

Champion nation

Chess ecosystem offers lessons for others sports

FIDE Candidates tournament: Gukesh crushes Abasov to be back in joint lead

Teenaged Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh produced another fantastic performance to crash through the defences of Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov and regain a share of the lead but R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi bowed out of contention after the 12th round of the Candidates chess tournament here. With American Hikaru Nakamura scoring a victory over Firouza Alireza of France, it is now a three-way lead at the top. Gukesh and Nakamura joined overnight top-placed Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, who drew with Praggnanandhaa, on 7.5 points and these three are now followed by Fabiano Caruana of United States who is on seven points. Praggnanandhaa is still fifth with six points with Gujrathi following him on five points. However, with just two rounds to come in the eight-player double round-robin tournament, it is almost impossible for the duo to finish on the podium. Alireza and Abasov fill up the rear of the table with 4.5 and three points respectively. In the women's section, the Chinese ...

Candidates Chess: Gukesh draws with Nepomniachtchi to stay in joint lead

Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh held on to the joint top spot with Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi after they played out an easy draw in the 10th round of the Candidates chess tournament here. The all-Indian duel between R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi also ended in a draw while Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura defeated Firouza Alireza and Nijat Abasov respectively to come back within striking distance of the two leaders. With just four rounds to come in the biggest event of the year, Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi have an identical six points each with Praggnanandhaa, Caruana and Nakamura close on their heels half a point behind. Gujrathi, on six points, is sole sixth while for all practical purposes, Alireza and Abasov are out of the race with 3.5 and two points respectively. Nepomniachtchi has not been taking many risks in the event with either colour and his solid play makes him the only player who is unbeaten after 10 rounds. The Ruy Lopez as white gave the Russian just an optical .

FIDE Candidates 2024: Gukesh beats Vidit Gujrathi to regain joint lead

India's D Gukesh bounced back with a finely crafted game to outwit compatriot Vidit Gujrathi and regain his joint lead with Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia after the eighth round of the Candidates chess tournament here. On a day when R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw with Firouza Alireza of France, Hikaru Nakamura sealed his supremacy in the all-American duel against Fabiano Caruana to come back in to reckoning for top honours. Overnight sole leader Nepomniachtchi faltered in the early stages to allow tail ender Nijat Abasov to get away with an easy draw in the other game of the eight-player double round-robin event. With six rounds still to come, Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi have 5 points apiece and they are followed by Nakamura and Pragnanandhaa on 4.5 points each. Caruana is now sole fifth on four points. Gujrathi on 3.5 comes in next ahead of Alireza on three points, while Abasov is still at the rear of the tables on 2.5 points. Gukesh had his task cut out and went for a rare varia

Candidates: Gukesh downs Abasov to jump into joint lead with Nepomniachtchi

Grandmaster D Gukesh grabbed a share of the lead alongside Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi by becoming the only Indian to post a win in the fifth round of the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament, outwitting Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov in a hard-fought contest here. With nine rounds still to come in the double round-robin event, Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi share the top spot with 3.5 points and they are followed by top-seeded American Fabio Caruana half a point behind. American Hikaru Nakamura was the other winner on the day against Firouza Alireza of France while Indian teen R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw with overnight sole leader Nepomniachtchi. Vidit Gujrathi also put an end to his losses by settling for a draw with Caruana. Praggnanandhaa and Nakamura share the fourth spot with 2.5 points followed closely by Gujrathi on two points. Alireza and Abasov share the last position on 1.5 points apiece. In the Women's competition, nothing changed in terms of standings with all the four games

Indian performance satisfactory at Candidates:GMs Barua and Thipsay

Indian Grandmasters Dibyendu Barua and Pravin Thipsay are quite impressed with how the country's five-strong contingent, led by the prodigal R Praggnanandhaa, has performed so far at the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament here. The Candidates tournament has a rest day after four rounds of intensive chess with Ian Nepomniachtchit from Russia leading the standings. India's D Gukesh is a joint second on the table with Praggnanandhaa at fourth along with Vidit Gujrathi. With 10 rounds still to go, Barua feels that Koneru Humpy can still strike back in the women's competition after succumbing to her first defeat at the hands of lowest seed and youngest participant Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria, "Vidit can bounce back and Gukesh can score well. I would not rate Humpy out of equations as yet, she has the acumen and a great will to won, we will know in a few days," Barua, a three-time national champion who was second Indian chess player after Viswanathan Anand to become a GM, told PTI.

Candidates: Praggnanandhaa to meet Firouza, Gukesh to clash with Vidit

India's best bet, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa will start his campaign against French Alireza Firouza and it will be an all-Indian affair between D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi in the first round of the Candidates chess tournament that has begun here. An all-American duel will be fought between two highest-ranked players Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. In the other contest of the day, Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan will take on the lone Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi. In the women's section too, the two Indians, R Vaishali and Koneru Humpy are pitted against each other and the two Russians Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno will also be battling out in the first round. The two Chinese Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi are also slated to meet each other and Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine will face the youngest participant Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria. While the pairings were announced a few weeks ago, the only thing that might matter is the start for each of the eight participants in the doubl

Musk's Neuralink shows 1st patient playing chess, video game using his mind

Neuralink is not the only company working on brain devices that connect with computers. Modern demonstrations of cursor control by using thoughts have taken place in other humans

All games drawn in final round, Praggnanandhaa finishes joint second

R Praggnanandhaa tried hard but had to settle for a draw with David Navara of Czech Republic in the final round of Prague Masters chess tournament that concluded here on Thursday. Praggnanandhaa can take heart from the fact that he goes in to the candidates as the top rated Indian slated to be held in about four weeks from now in Toronto. It took a mammoth effort from FIDE and various channels to resolve the visa issue for the candidates but as of now everything seems to be in order for one of the biggest events of the year. With five draws happening between 10 players in the final round nothing actually changed. Abdusattarov had won the event with a round to spare clocking 6/8 and he inched up to 6.5 points for probably his career best performance. Praggnanandhaa to his credit ended on a plus score clocking five points alongside Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran and surprise packet Ngyen Thai Dai Van of Czech Republic with all three of them tallying five points out of a possible ...

Chess legend Garry Kasparov added in 'terrorist, extremist' list by Russia

Russian financial watchdog responsible for combatting money laundering and terror financing added chess grandmaster and vocal Putin critic Kasparov's name to the list of 'terrorists and extremists'