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Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
A new era in Indian chess: Four grandmasters in top 10; R Praggnanandhaa leads FIDE Circuit
NEW DELHI: Indian chess is entering uncharted territory. For the first time in history, four Indian players now feature in the world's top 10 live ratings — a momentous leap for the nation on the global chessboard. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The newest name to break into the elite ranks is Aravindh Chithambaram, who climbed to World No. 9 with a live rating of 2757.8. He joins D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa, cementing India's growing dominance in international chess. Aravindh's surge comes on the heels of a hard-fought victory at the 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial in Jermuk, Armenia. He and Praggnanandhaa both finished with 6.5/9, but Aravindh claimed the title thanks to a better Sonneborn-Berger score — a tiebreaker determined by the strength of opponents faced. Final-round drama in Jermuk The tournament couldn't have been closer. Aravindh and Praggnanandhaa, who are also training partners under coach RB Ramesh, drew their first-round encounter and remained locked in step for much of the event. Entering the final round, both were tied at 5.5 points and needed a win to take the title. Praggnanandhaa struck first, defeating Robert Hovhannisyan of Armenia. Aravindh, playing black, responded under pressure by toppling Aram Hakobyan, sealing a flawless performance: 4 wins, 5 draws, zero losses. For Praggnanandhaa, the result was bittersweet. 'It was a good tournament for me,' he told Chessbase India, 'but I missed that one chance in Round 2 against Jonas Buhl Bjerre. That win would've made the difference.' Praggnanandhaa leads the circuit Despite finishing second, the 19-year-old continues his blazing run in 2025. He now ranks sixth in live ratings (2774.2) and leads the FIDE Circuit standings with 83.59 points from five events. His consistent form, including wins at Tata Steel Masters and GCT Romania Classic, and top-three finishes in Prague, GCT Poland, and now Jermuk — puts him in pole position to qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Close behind is Aravindh with 41.32 points from just three events — proof of his rapid rise and potential to catch up. What's Next? The momentum doesn't stop here. Both Aravindh and Praggnanandhaa are slated to compete in the Uzchess Cup, kicking off June 18 in Uzbekistan. They'll be facing elite opposition again — including Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and Arjun Erigaisi. Indian chess has never looked stronger, and this new generation is proving it's here to stay.
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Business Standard
5 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
World champion Gukesh headlines 15 Indians in Grand Swiss chess tournament
As many as 15 Indians, including world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandha, Vaishali R and Koneru Humpy, have qualified for the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss and Women's Grand Swiss, to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 3-16. Besides Gukesh and Praggnanandha, the other nine Indians taking part in FIDE Grand Swiss (Open) are: Arjun Erigaisi, Chithambaram Aravindh, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, Nihal Sarin, Raunak Sadhwani, Murali Karthikeyan, Abhimanyu Puranik and Aryan Chopra. Vaishali and Humpy will be joined by Harika Dronavalli and Divya Deshmukh in the Women's Grand Swiss. Vantika Agrawal has been named as a reserve player. As one of the most significant events in the chess calendar, the FIDE Grand Swiss offers players a direct pathway to the Candidates Tournament, the game's world governing body said. "The top two finishers in the Grand Swiss will secure spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, while the top two players in the Women's Grand Swiss will qualify for the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament," the FIDE said on Thursday. The Candidates Tournament determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship. In addition to its importance as a qualifier, the event will feature an increased prize fund. "The Open prize fund has been boosted from USD 460,000 to USD 625,000a 36% increasewhile the Women's prize fund sees an even larger jump, from USD 140,000 to USD 230,000, up 64%," the FIDE said. Both tournaments will follow an 11-round Swiss format, with 170 players participating from across the globe: 114 in the Grand Swiss and 56 in the Women's Grand Swiss. So far, 100 players have qualified for the 2025 Grand Swiss by rating, while the Women's Grand Swiss has 44 qualifiers. Only players who played at least 30 rated games are eligible. The final lists of participants will be confirmed after Continent spots, players nominated by the FIDE president and players nominated by the organiser are announced, the global body said.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Gukesh, Pragg, Vaishali, Kuneru among 15 Indians qualified for FIDE Grand Swiss 2025
New Delhi: Reigning world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandha, Vaishali R and Kuneru Humpy are among the 15 Indian players (11 men and four women) qualified for the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss and Women's Grand Swiss, which will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from September 3–16. As one of the most significant events in the chess calendar, the FIDE Grand Swiss offers players a direct pathway to the Candidates Tournament. The top two finishers in the Grand Swiss will secure spots in the 2026 Candidates Tournament while the top two players in the Women's Grand Swiss will qualify for the 2026 Women's Candidates Tournament. In addition to its importance as a qualifier, the event will feature an increased prize fund. The Open prize fund has been boosted from USD 4,60,000 to USD 6,25,000 - a 36 per cent increase. The women's prize fund sees an even larger jump, from USD 1,40,000 to USD 2,30,000, up by 64 per cent. Both tournaments will follow an 11-round Swiss format, with 170 players participating from across the globe: 114 in the Grand Swiss and 56 in the Women's Grand Swiss. So far, 100 players have qualified for the 2025 Grand Swiss by rating, while the Women's Grand Swiss has 44 qualifiers. Only players who played at least 30 rated games are eligible. Six new spots have been added to the women's lineup this year. Of the six new spots, four players will qualify based on the June 2025 FIDE Standard Rating List while two wild cards will be awarded by the organisers. The final lists of participants will be confirmed after Continental spots, players nominated by the FIDE president and players nominated by the organiser are announced. Indians qualified for FIDE Grand Swiss- Men: Arjun Erigaisi, Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R , Aravindh Chithambaram V R, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, Nihal Sarin, Raunak Sadhwani, Karthikeyan Murali, Abhimanyu Puranik, Aryan Chopra Women: Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Reserve: Vantika Agrawal
The Hindu
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Norway Chess 2025: World Champion Gukesh Beats Carlsen in Shocking First Classical Victory
Published : Jun 03, 2025 17:44 IST - 7 MINS READ On December 12, 2024, 18-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju created history by becoming the youngest-ever world chess champion. The teenage chess wizard from Chennai had beaten a star-studded line-up in the Candidates Tournament, including Super GMs (Grandmaster) like Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, and others, before finally defeating the reigning world champion Ding Liren from China. But the crown did not rest easy on the young king's head. Even though he was the world champion, the long shadow of Magnus Carlsen hung over his achievement. Carlsen, universally acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time (if not the greatest), had voluntarily given up his title in 2023, undefeated; and Gukesh had never beaten him in the classical format of the game. The new champion himself was painfully aware of the fact that though he may be the world champion he was not the best player in the world: 'Becoming the world champion does not mean I am the best player; obviously that is Magnus... That will help me keep doing the right things, working hard, and trying to reach the level of greatness that Magnus has achieved,' he had said soon after his coronation. Nearly six months later, on June 1, Gukesh could finally shrug off the burden of expectation on his young shoulders when he defeated Carlsen for the first time ever in the classical format in the prestigious Norway Chess tournament. It was his most significant win since becoming champion as it served to silence his detractors, destroy whatever seeds of doubt that may have crept into his mind, and boost his confidence by breaking what appeared to be a jinx. Norway Chess was the first time the two met across the board since Gukesh became champion, and it was one of the most highly-anticipated occasions not just in chess but in the whole sports fraternity. 'You come at the king, you better not miss' For Carlsen, it was time for a reality check. It was not just a tear in his cloak of invincibility, but also something that wiped the smirk of smug superiority that came with the record of never being beaten by the world champion in the classical format. In their first match of the Norway Chess on May 27, the world number one ground down the world champion in a long-drawn 55-move battle that appeared to be heading for a draw. A single blunder by Gukesh in his strategy of attacking Carlsen's king turned the tables in the latter's favour. After the match, Carlsen posted on social media a quote from the popular television series 'The Wire': 'YOU COME AT THE KING, YOU BEST NOT MISS.' The dual meaning in the polysemous phrase was not lost on anyone. On the one hand it could be interpreted as a comment on Gukesh's play at Magnus's king on the board; but on the other hand, it could also be perceived as a statement asserting who the real king of chess was. Also Read | Gukesh Dommaraju: The boy king of chess Gukesh gave his answer in their second match on June 1 in a most dramatic fashion. In all appearances, the world champion seemed to be heading for another certain defeat. Carlsen was outplaying him from early on, and Gukesh seemed to be struggling just to survive and remain in the game. With the time pressure on, Magnus blundered with the knight in the 52nd move, and Gukesh swooped upon the advantage and held on. Interestingly, the outcomes of both their first and second matches were hinged on a single mistake during the time scramble. The most common time control in classical chess involves an increment of 30 seconds from the 41st move onward; however, the Norway Chess tournament rules allow for only 10 seconds increment, which often results in a chaotic scramble in the end game. Carlsen made his disappointment very evident. He banged his fist hard on the table, causing several of the pieces to fall and startling Gukesh. He immediately apologised, shook hands with his opponent, and left the room, giving the victor a pat on the back on his way out. Gukesh himself was stunned by the victory. He stood for a while as though in shock; when the moment sank in, he returned to the table and, as is his custom in victory or defeat, set up the pieces on the chess board. Magnus's thump on the table upon defeat reverberated across the world. Gukesh never needed to prove whether he was a worthy champion or not. But this victory over Magnus has been a momentous event in the young champion's career as it silenced the doubting Thomases who had been raising the question of whether Gukesh was 'deserving' of the world chess crown. Victory against the odds The second game with Carlsen was a close call for Gukesh. His dogged defending ultimately saw him through, but it was not the kind of victory he wanted. 'I'm still kind of shaking after that game… There wasn't much I could do. It was just clearly lost [his position]. I was just trying to make moves that were tricky for him, and luckily, he got into a time scramble… 99 times out of 100 I would lose… just a lucky day… [It was my] first classical win against Carlsen. Not the way I wanted it to be, but I'll take it,' he said. Carlsen, too, felt it was a game he should have won, but for the fight put up by Gukesh. 'On a normal day, of course, I win that game, but what he [Gukesh] does well is that he really fights, and he was there to take his chance, and he deserves credit for that,' he said. Also Read | The champion on his conquests Over the past few years, Carlsen has made it clear that he has lost interest in the classical format of chess, and that is one of the reasons why he abdicated his title in 2023. In fact, the man who has been the world number one since 2013, who has achieved the highest ELO rating in the history of the game (2880), and has the longest unbeaten streak in classical chess at the topmost level (125 games), hardly plays the classical format these days. However, his absence from the format has not affected his winning rate against other top players on those occasions when he does play, which makes Gukesh's victory all the more creditable. Speaking on Gukesh's win over Carlsen, veteran Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua told Frontline, 'This was a victory that Gukesh needed very much. This will not just boost his confidence for the rest of the tournament, but also for his games in the coming days. Defeating the world's best is an important accomplishment; and Carlsen is in a much higher and stronger position than the rest of the players—something Gukesh himself had acknowledged after he became world champion.' Barua also feels that the win was a reaffirmation of Gukesh's status as world champion. 'Many people did not give him his due credit, claiming that without Carlsen, the world championship had no real prestige. Gukesh most definitely had the desire to prove himself by defeating Carlsen in the classical format. Moreover, winning from a lost position will make him more confident in their next encounters. Now his next challenge is to become the world number one. If he continues to play with this kind of consistency, he will reach that position in a few years,' said Barua, who is India's second Grandmaster after former world champion Viswanathan Anand. Interestingly, another legend of the game faced a similar problem after becoming world champion. In 1975, Anatoly Karpov became the undisputed world champion by default, when the mercurial Bobby Fischer refused to defend his title which he had won from Boris Spassky in 1972. Though one of the strongest players at that time, Karpov nevertheless had to prove that he was a deserving champion, and in the process became the most dominant player in the world for the next 10 years. Gukesh, too, has proved himself to be a worthy champion, defeating some of the biggest names in chess in the past five months. But winning against Carlsen may well set him on the path to the next level of his chess career. In fact, after defeating the world number one in the sixth round, Gukesh beat India's number one, Arjun Erigaisi, in the seventh round. This, too, was Gukesh's first win against Erigaisi in the classical format.
India Gazette
25-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
World Champion Gukesh arrives in Stavanger; pegs face-off against Magnus Carlsen
Stavanger [Norway], May 25 (ANI): The youngest world chess champion, India's Gukesh Dommaraju, arrived in Stavanger on Saturday for the most-awaited contest of the year at the Norway Chess 2025, scheduled to begin from May 26 here at the Sparebank 1 Sor-Norge headquarters. For the first time since he was crowned the world chess champion, after beating Ding Liren in a best-of-14-game match in Singapore last year, the 18-year-old will face off against World No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the classical format. Speaking about taking on the Norwegian icon Carlsen in his backyard, Gukesh said as per a press release, 'I feel great being here (in Stavanger). I have had good memories from Norway. I am sure playing Magnus here in a classical game will be a fun challenge. Also, for the spectators, it is about the world champion versus the No.1 player in the world. It surely sounds very exciting, so it is surely something I am very happy to give, myself and the chess fans. And I hope it will be a treat.' The last time Gukesh participated in Norway Chess was in 2023, where he finished third, securing the crucial International Chess Federation (FIDE) Circuit points needed to qualify for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. This achievement made him the third-youngest player in history to qualify for a Candidates tournament, following in the footsteps of Bobby Fischer and Magnus Carlsen. By August 2023, Gukesh shattered another record, becoming the youngest player ever to achieve a rating of 2750. A month later, in September 2023, he surpassed Viswanathan Anand as India's top-ranked player, marking the first time in 37 years that someone other than Anand held this distinction. He was on song in 2024, starting the year with a first-place finish at Tata Steel Masters in January, and he dominated the Candidates Tournament, securing his spot in the World Chess Championship match. At the Olympiad, he led Team India to gold while earning an individual gold medal on board one with an outstanding performance. Elaborating on keeping up with the expectations, particularly after his recent success, Gukesh said, 'It is a new level. But when I see it as a challenge to prove to myself that I can handle this. Even though the expectations are high, I can meet them if I keep working hard and doing my best.' Among the challenges in a classical game, Gukesh feels one of the things to be vary about is fighting his own thoughts. 'In a classical game, you end up playing for five hours, and those are the times you cannot be fully thinking about the game. I think there are random thoughts that come into our mind,s but the important thing is to stay in the game and come back to those thoughts later. This is the purpose of the note that you're making. And you can't afford to allow weak moments,' he explained. India's Arjun Erigaisi will also feature in the Norway Chess which will have one of the strongest line-up including Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Fabiano Caruana (USA), Wei Yi (China) and in Norway Chess Women 2025 Ju Wenjun (China), Lei Tingjie (China), Koneru Humpy (India), Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), Vaishali R (India) and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain) will fight for top honours. (ANI)
