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The Hindu
an hour ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Nihal stuns top-seed Arjun in a morale-boosting win
Nihal Sarin shrugged off a poor start to pull off an upset win over the top-seed Arjun Erigaisi in the fourth round of the Masters section in the Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters chess tournament 2025 here on Sunday. Rapidly-rising German Vincent Keymer drew with the seasoned Dutchman Anish Giri to take his tally to 3.5 points and increased the lead over the rest of the field to a full point. Arjun (Elo 2776), coming off a victory over American Ray Robson in the previous round, found compatriot Nihal (2692) a tough nut to crack and went down in 70 moves. Nihal, who suffered a loss at the hands of Vidit Gujrathi in the third round, bounced back strongly to tame Arjun in a match that lasted over four hours. It was a morale-boosting win for Nihal, who lost two of his first three games. 'A lot of ups and downs today. Arjun defended like an absolute machine. I did get quite lucky in the end. It was quite hard for me after yesterday's game. I just tried my best to somehow find the motivation to keep playing,' Nihal after his first win in the tournament. In the only other decisive result in the Masters event, Karthikeyan Murali got the better of Dutch player Jorden van Foreest in a 46-move match. The Chennai GM, who gained an entry into the Masters section after the pullout of Vladmir Fedoseev, raised his game after a quiet start to overpower his opponent. Indian GMs Vidit and V. Pranav split the point after a 86-move game. The all-American matchup between Ray Robson and Awonder Liang ended in a draw after just 26 moves. When the Pookie Grand Master Liang Awonder grabs the camera, every move turns into a chess-flix binge series🎬♟️ Expect checkmates, chuckles, and cinematic zooms – only at Chennai Grand Masters! 📍 Aug 7–15 | Hyatt Regency Chennai 🎟️ Link in bio@ChessbaseIndia@chesscom_in… — Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters (@Chennai_GM) August 10, 2025 In the Challengers section, Abhimanyu Puranik jumped into the sole lead after a solid win over R. Vaishali, who has been off-colour thus far. Birthday boy Diptayan Ghosh, meanwhile, celebrated with a victory over G. B. Harshavardhan and is half-a-point behind the leader along with Leon Luke Mendonca. The results (fourth round): Masters: Karthikeyan Murali (2) bt Jorden van Foreest (Ned, 1), Ray Robson (USA, 2) drew with Awonder Liang (USA, 2), Nihal Sarin (1.5) bt Arjun Erigaisi (2.5), V. Pranav (1.5) drew with Vidit Gujrathi (2), Vincent Keymer (Ger, 3.5) drew with Anish Giri (Ned, 2). Challengers: G. B. Harshavardhan (0.5) lost to Diptayan Ghosh (3), Pa. Iniyan (2.5) bt Aryan Chopra (1), B. Adhiban (2) drew with M. Pranesh (3), Leon Mendonca (3) bt D. Harika, Abhimanyu Puranik (3.5) bt R. Vaishali (1). Fifth round pairings: Masters: Anish vs. Karthikeyan, Vidit vs. Keymer, Arjun vs. Pranav, Liang vs. Nihal, van Foreest vs. Robson. Challengers: Vaishali vs. Harshavardhan, Harika vs. Abhimanyu, Pranesh vs. Leon, Aryan vs. Adhiban, Diptayan vs. Iniyan.
Indian Express
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Nihal Sarin qualifies for quarterfinal of E-sports World Cup, joins Arjun Erigaisi
India's Nihal Sarin has beaten Dutch player Anish Giri to qualify for the Esports World Cup quarterfinals at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and joins Arjun Erigaisi in the knockout rounds. After initially losing to Arjun, Sarin has managed to pull off back-to-back wins, first against Switzerland's Vachier-Lagrave (1.5-0.5) and Anish today (2-0). Earlier in the day, Magnus Carlsen made it to the quarter-finals of the chess event, and he was also appreciative of Nihal's skills. Nihal carries a moniker for being one of the best players when it comes to speed chess. Carlsen said his mouse speed is slow, and if he runs into someone like young Indian Nihal Sarin, it might turn into a dangerous match-up. 'I only played the two qualifier events to get here with this time control, but for me, it worked out okay. My mouse speed is not necessarily the best, but I play fast and well enough that it doesn't usually bother me,' said Carlsen to Chessbase India ahead of the Esports World Cup. 'We will see, however, you could run into really dangerous matchups here. For instance, we saw in the qualifier how incredibly good Nihal (Sarin) is with very little time on the clock. There could be certain players like him and Alireza (Firouzja); I think, especially if they have a good event, they can use that mouse speed to their advantage,' he added. However, qualifying for the tournament was not as straightforward to Nihal. After failing to qualify at EWC through the two qualifiers, Nihal had to play through the Last Chance Qualifier in Riyadh, where he reached the finals of the Winner's Bracket after beating Russia's Andrey Esipenko, thus qualifying for the main event. The Esports World Cup brings together top esports clubs across 24 popular titles. EWC 2025 is happening in Riyadh from July 7 to August 24, featuring chess as an online event for the first time. The inaugural 2024 edition spanned eight weeks, while the 2025 event will be history's largest multi-title esports tournament with 2,000+ players, 200+ teams, and a $70 million (≈₹602 crore) prize pool.
Indian Express
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Magnus Carlsen praises Nihal Sarin: ‘Saw how incredibly good he is with very little time on clock'
World No. 1 chess player and five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen will be in action at the ongoing Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh, representing Team Liquid. Ahead of the event, Carlsen spoke about the unique time format (10 minutes with no increment), which creates additional pressure with no increment, unlike the many rapid and blitz events played online. Carlsen said his mouse speed is slow, and if he runs into someone like young Indian Nihal Sarin, it might turn into a dangerous match-up. 'I only played the two qualifier events to get here with this time control, but for me, it worked out okay. My mouse speed is not necessarily the best, but I play fast and well enough that it doesn't usually bother me,' said Carlsen to Chessbase India ahead of the Esports World Cup. 'We will see, however, you could run into really dangerous matchups here. For instance, we saw in the qualifier how incredibly good Nihal (Sarin) is with very little time on the clock. There could be certain players like him and Alireza (Firouzja); I think, especially if they have a good event, they can use that mouse speed to their advantage,' he said. Speed demon, Nihal carries a moniker for being one of the best players when it comes to speed chess. 'But overall, it is entertainment, but it's also esports, and therefore, motor skills should matter a little bit more in over-the-board play. I generally like events that are unforgiving in terms of time control, where time management actually is an important part of the game. So overall, it may make the players uncomfortable at times, but that's part of the game, and overall, I like it.' Speaking on the players he should be wary of in the 16-player event, Carlsen said: 'I think the Falcons players, Hikaru and Alireza, are on paper the most dangerous. Hikaru is probably quite clearly the most consistent among the others. But there are many players who could make a dent. I would say practically all the players here have some sort of chance to make a deep run. There really isn't that much in between them. I might have personal preferences about whom I would like to play, but if you talk to one of the other top players, they might be different. So, it's a really stacked field, and everybody's very strong.' Nihal and Arjun Erigaisi are the two Indians who will feature in the EWC 2025.
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
From no norms to Grandmaster: Divya Deshmukh becomes India's 88th GM and fourth among Indian women
Divya Deshmukh (Image via X/@ChessbaseIndia) Nagpur's International Master (IM) Divya Deshmukh took the shortest but strongest route to a Grandmaster (GM) title. With an emphatic World Cup triumph in Batumi, the 19-year-old became India's 88th Grandmaster on Monday. The Grandmaster title is one of the toughest achievements in chess. To secure the top title awarded by the world chess federation (FIDE), a player needs to earn three GM norms from FIDE-approved tournaments and cross the rating of 2500 Elo. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Mostly, players achieve the norms to get the title. Divya cleared the rating criteria when she registered a peak rating of 2501 in October 2024. While Divya was trying hard to get the three norms, she came very close but missed it in many tournaments by a whisker. Her first norm came when she qualified for the World Cup final in Batumi. As per the FIDE rules, winners of certain elite competitions can avoid the usual norm-and-rating route and can become GMs directly. The Women's World Cup was one such event, and Divya earned the GM title by becoming the youngest World Cup winner. On achieving her childhood dream, Divya said, 'I think it is fate, getting the Grandmaster title this way, because I didn't even have one norm before coming to the World Cup. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas Prices In Dubai Might Be More Affordable Than You Think Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo And all I was thinking of was 'Oh, when can I get my norm,' and now I have a crown and Grandmaster title too.' Congratulating Divya on X, World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura said, 'Huge congratulations Divya for both winning the Women's World Cup but also going from no-norms to the GM title in one big jump! Indian chess is knocking it out of the park these days.' Poll What do you think is the most impressive aspect of Divya Deshmukh's journey to becoming a Grandmaster? Winning the Women's World Cup Achieving the title at such a young age Her consistent performances Three years after she started playing chess, Divya became the youngest Woman FIDE Master (WFM) in 2013. Five years later, she achieved the Woman International Master (WIM) title and in 2021 became the WGM. In 2023, Divya earned her highest title, International Master (IM). Divya's inspiring performance took her live ranking to 15th in the world with 2478 Elo points. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Women's World Cup: Divya Deshmukh takes control of the clock to stun Koneru Humpy, becomes first Indian winner
Divya Deshmukh (Image via X/@ChessbaseIndia) Nagpur's Divya Deshmukh (19) made history by becoming the first Indian and the youngest ever to win the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup in Georgia on Monday. In a dream all-India final, she took control of the clock to surprise reigning women's world rapid champion, 38-year-old Koneru Humpy, 2.5-1.5. Divya took the rapid route to glory after drawing both her classical games with Humpy on Saturday and Sunday. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Divya, who was the world's youngest Woman FIDE Master in 2013, also became only the fourth Indian woman to earn the GM title after Humpy, R. Vaishali, and Harika Dronavalli. With this win, Divya took her tally of international gold medals to 24 while representing India on 41 occasions. In her 14-year journey on the 64 squares, she has conquered the world on four occasions: in 2014, she won the Under-10 world title before becoming U-12 world champion in '17. Last year, she was crowned world junior champ. Divya Deshmukh Monday's win made Divya India's 88th and the world's 44th woman GM. Divya also became the third winner of the Women's World Cup after Russian GMs Alexandra Kosteniuk (2021) and Aleksandra Goryachkina ('23). As stars would have it, both Kosteniuk and Goryachkina defeated China's Tan Zhongyi in the semifinals of the World Cup in 2021 and 2023 respectively. In Batumi, Divya, too, defeated Tan in the semis. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo In the first game on Monday, Divya missed a trick of taking advantage with white pieces. A solid defensive play by Humpy denied Divya any opportunity to take advantage. The marathon opening game of Petrov's Defence with Classical Attack ended in an 81-move draw. Divya's moment of history came in the second rapid game, playing with black pieces. Divya's preparations gave her control over the clock and she was eight minutes ahead of Humpy on the 13th move. Speaking exclusively with TOI after the triumph from Batumi, Divya said, 'The second tiebreak was tense, but my preparations came in handy. Once I found that line and started making moves faster, it eventually helped me to take control of the clock. She came under time trouble and made a blunder, giving me an advantage.' Unlike what happened in their first classical game when veteran Humpy accepted the Queen's Gambit challenge of Divya, the 19-year-old declined it in their second rapid game to go a pawn up in the fourth move. When Divya made her first notable move on the ninth turn, Humpy was forced to change tactics. Despite being a pawn down, Humpy had control over the board, but time was running away from the 38-year-old. The double rook endgame with an extra pawn for Divya saw back-to-back dubious moves by Humpy on the 40th and 41st turns. When Divya advanced her queen on the 41st turn, she was a couple of moves away from winning. Looking at Humpy's 40th move blunder, Anand said, 'A totally self-inflicted collapse by Humpy. It's one of those situations where your nerves just get the better of you, and there's nothing you can do.' But when Divya made a mistake on the 42nd move, Humpy got her position back, with the youngster still enjoying a slight edge. When the queens got exchanged on the 47th move, Divya was still a pawn up. Trying to convert the endgame, Divya sacrificed her pawn, and Humpy again blundered on the 54th move. Divya regained her pawn on the 71st move and ultimately converted the rook endgame into victory in the 75th move to win the title. When Humpy resigned and stopped the clock with a handshake offer, Divya burst into tears and looked back as if searching for her mother. After completing the board formalities, Divya ran into the arms of her mother. Controlling her emotions, Divya later said, 'I definitely need to learn endgames. I am pretty sure at some point I messed it up. Not sure how, but it should have been an easy win.' Poll Do you think Divya Deshmukh's win will inspire more young players in India? Definitely Unlikely The greatest female chess player of all time, Judit Polgar, congratulated Divya and said, 'Indian chess is just unbelievable.' One of Divya's mentors, Abhijit Kunte, said, 'When I saw her first time in coaching camp for the Asian Games in Kolkata, I realized she has a great talent and can develop a lot. From there she has traveled so fast. I hope the progress will just grow and she will become the first woman world champion from India.' Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
