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News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
Fork, Pin, Skewer: Why Not To Put All Your Eggs In One Basket
Last Updated: The bane of traditional powerhouses of chess has been the tapering of the talent pool, one that India has addressed well with the massive diversification of its chess portfolio. Fork – An approach in which a single piece threatens to attack more than a solitary opposition piece. Pin – A tactic in which a piece's movement is limited due to the threat it would pose to a more valuable piece if said 'pinned' piece were to be moved. Skewer – A situation in which a player is forced to move a piece out of harm's way, thus exposing another piece to danger. The principle that binds the three together is the utilitarian piece, which poses a danger to more than a single opposition piece at a given point in time. A diversification of attack of sorts. The Indian chess legion has stamped its authority over the world of the sport in recent years in a similar, and spectacular fashion, thanks to the domination of masters, young and old, across the spectrum. A rather nascent superpower, the Indian contingent has been the side to beat of late, and the reason behind the same is two simple words. Calibre, and of course, volume. Here's a food for thought: India currently has three in the top ten of the standard (classical) rankings and four in the top 20 of women's rankings. R Pragnanandhaa, D Gukesh sit pretty at first and second in standard junior rankings, followed by Raunak Sadhwani at fifth. Newly crowned World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh tops the charts in standard junior girls' rankings, while Praggnanandhaa, Sadhwani, and Pranav V are in the top 10 of Rapid Top Juniors. Deshmukh once again leads the rankings in Rapid Girls' and Blitz Girls. Pragnandhaa is the top-ranked Blitz junior currently. The Plague The bane of traditional powerhouses of the sport has been the tapering of the talent pool, a result of multiple factors, but mainly due to the act of storing all our eggs in one basket in a fashion that sees a majority of the resources and hopes pinned on an exceptional individual. The example of Hungarian Judith Polgar serves as a teaser into the perils of overdependence on a single player, or a limited group of players, for that matter, in the long run. Polgar, once ranked as high as eighth in the world and arguably one of the greatest female chess stars in modern history, was the flagbearer of the sport for a generation. A more recent instance would be that of Norway with its reliance on the top-rated Magnus Carlsen, with no apparent heir in sight. Russia was carried by Gary Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov for decades, while Bobby Fischer was the embodiment of chess in the United States of America for a turtle's lifetime. However, old age, brother mine, comes to us all. The Americans seem to be catching up with the curve, boasting the riches of Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, for example, but then again, it is just that- a catch-up game. The Antidote The same could have been true in the Indian context with Vishy Anand playing the lone ranger representing the tricolour on the elite corridors of the game for aeons. But, zoom forward a couple of years, and the story of a solo Indian warrior isn't the case anymore. Norms and rankings aside, the sheer number of quality players the peninsular nation seems to churn out year on year seems to defy the Fibonacci sequence. The embers lit by Vishy's valiant navigation of the upper echelons of the game had a profound impact on the incubators housing knowledge. Among the best-performing federations, India is second in the Open and Women's categories with ten and nine players in the top 100, respectively. In Junior's India is the runaway leader with 20 players in the top 100, and it is second in the Girls' category with ten players in the top 100. The only variance that mattered in the case of India, as compared to that of Hungary or Russia, is perhaps the former's insistence on a diversification of the portfolio. The proliferation of talent in the sport has reached hitherto unimagined levels, with the chequered design a very discernible motif across the vastness of the sprawling nation. While Vishy's time at the top was prolonged by the sheer genius of the man who serves as the personification of a King-maker, a silent, non-violent jacquerie was taking shape, with diamonds in the rough being polished by crafty makers, who have done an impeccable job of evangelising the sport. The results are there for all to see, with the swathe of stars enjoying the limelight as a result of years of penance while sitting over the board battle. top videos View all And to add a coat of sheen, there is no dearth of potential simmering at the threshold dividing grassroots from greatness. And we go on and on and on and on and on… tags : Chess chess news D Gukesh divya deshmukh India chess Praggnanandhaa Vishwanathan Anand view comments Location : Chennai, India, India First Published: August 09, 2025, 13:17 IST News sports Fork, Pin, Skewer: Why Not To Put All Your Eggs In One Basket Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
Gukesh reveals he wasn't always a calm kid, credits meditation and yoga for turnaround: 'I used to throw tantrums'
At an event in Poland's Katowice, where he faced Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda in a series of blitz exhibition games, D Gukesh revealed that he used to be quite the 'impulsive and short-tempered kid', and his lack of control over his emotions would in turn affect his game. read more D Gukesh added that his aim now is to become the world's best player, not that he has fulfilled his childhood dream by becoming the youngest world champion. Image: FIDE on X Reigning Classical world champion D Gukesh is known for his soft-spoken demeanour and for his humility, which make him the complete opposite of world No 1 Magnus Carlsen – someone who doesn't hold back and has found himself waging a war of words with the likes of Hans Niemann and even FIDE. Gukesh, however, wasn't always this calm individual who rarely expresses emotions. The 19-year-old recently revealed at an event in Poland's Katowice, where he faced Polish Grandmaster Jan-Krzysztof Duda in a series of blitz exhibition games, that he used to be quite the 'impulsive and short-tempered kid'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Gukesh added that his inability to control his emotions would often affect his game and reflect in his results, and credits meditation and yoga for transforming him into the person he is today. 'I was always like a very impulsive, very short-tempered kid. I used to throw tantrums and like not manage my emotions. Then I realised that it's affecting my chess because whenever I would lose a game, the next few games too I would be very affected by it and I would not be able to play well," Gukesh said . 'So I just realized that I should manage my emotions better. That's when I started doing some good practices like meditation and yoga, which really helped me to manage my emotions. It not only helps in chess but like all walks of life. 'I can't say like I'm like that advanced in yoga or something like that. But like I just do very simple and basic movement while focusing on breathing. Most of it is related to meditation. I don't really know much about yoga. I just know some basics and I do that at work,' the Indian GM, who hails from Chennai, added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Besides calming him down, meditation appears to have improved Gukesh's game as well, with the GM known for often going into a trance-like state in the middle of a game in which he keeps his mind engaged in calculating the next set of moves. Gukesh reveals his new ambition after fulfilling childhood dream Gukesh had charted a meteoric rise last year, becoming the youngest champion at the Candidates Tournament and starring in India's golden sweep at the Chess Olympiad before fulfilling his lifelong dream of being crowned world champion after . He not only became the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to be crowned world champion, he also broke Garry Kasparov's record of the youngest Classical world champion in the history of the game. And when asked about his current ambition, now that he has fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming world champion, Gukesh said that his goal now was to become the best player in the world. 'My childhood dream was to become the world champion. But at some point it became just be the best player. The youngest and all these things didn't really matter too much to me. It was about being the best and keep improving throughout my life to achieve that. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'To be the one player in the whole world who is like the best player, who you could clearly say that this is the best player in the world. That has become my dream. It's still a long way to go,' Gukesh added.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Velammal Vidyalaya wins gold medal
Chennai's Velammal Vidyalaya, the alma mater of the youngest reigning world champion D Gukesh and Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, has won the gold medal at the World Schools Team Chess Championship in Virginia, USA. The Velammal Vidyalaya, located in the Mogappair neighbourhood, has been lauded as the force behind the chess revolution in Chennai as it provides expert training to hundreds of budding chess players. 'After eight exciting rounds, the 2025 World Schools Team Championship wrapped up today in Alexandria, Virginia,' global chess governing body FIDE announced in a press release on Thursday. Velammal Vidyalaya's Pranav KP, who played reserve on board five, along with Imangali Akhilbay (Kazakhstan NSPM) on board two and Edisa Berdibaeva (Kazakhstan NSPM) finished with perfect scores (eight out of eight). In all, Velammal Vidyalaya ended their eight games with 16 points. 'Rising above the rest with a perfect score, Velammal MHS School from India claimed the gold medal, winning all eight of their matches,' the FIDE stated. FIDE said the triumph for Velammal School adds another chapter to India's 'growing collection' of titles in chess. 'With India continuing to make waves across all levels and formats of chess, this victory adds yet another title to the country's growing collection,' it said. 'Velammal MHS is no stranger to success—former students include Grandmasters R. Praggnanandhaa and Leon Mendonca. So it came as little surprise when the team entered the final round with the top spot already secured,' FIDE added. The Velammal School has produced several Grandmasters over the years including SP Sethuraman, Mendonca, K Priyadharshan, B Adhiban, Vishnu Prasanna, Visakh NR, Vignesh NR, M Karthikeyan, C Aravindh, Karthik Venkataraman, V Pranav, S Bharath, Arjun Kalyan, P Karthikeyan and N Srinath. Among the Women Grandmasters from the school are R Vaishali, a Grandmaster and sister of Praggnanandhaa, Varshini S, R Rakshitta and B Savitha Shri. 'They also have a champion like Anand to look up to,' the school's chess co-coordinator S Velavan had told PTI in December last year. 'Since most of the children coming here have a genuine interest in chess, we don't have to push them. They combine studies and chess well, and, in fact, the students who play chess have done even better in their studies,' he added. Velammal Vidyalaya, which won the FIDE World School Teams Championship for five consecutive years in the past, follows the '7 to 17 programme' which was introduced by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2013. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's National School of Physics and Mathematics won the silver medal as they had the same number of match points as The Harker School from the USA, but 'edged them out on tie-breaks'. The Harker School finished third ahead of Astana 2 RSPM.
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Gukesh, Pragg's Alma Mater Vellamal Vidyalaya Wins Gold At FIDE World Schools Team Championship
Last Updated: Velammal Vidyalaya, Chennai, won gold at the 2025 FIDE World Schools Team Chess Championship in Virginia, scoring a perfect 16 points. The school is known for chess prodigies. Velammal Vidyalaya, the Chennai-based school that nurtured chess prodigies like reigning World Champion D Gukesh and Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, has added another feather to its cap by winning the gold medal at the 2025 FIDE World Schools Team Chess Championship in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. The Mogappair-based institution, long hailed as the heartbeat of Chennai's chess revolution, dominated the eight-round tournament to finish with a perfect score—16 points from eight matches—cementing its reputation as a global chess powerhouse. 'After eight exciting rounds, the 2025 World Schools Team Championship wrapped up today in Alexandria, Virginia," announced FIDE, the international chess federation, in a press release on Thursday. Velammal's team turned in a flawless performance, with all players contributing to the gold-winning campaign. 'Rising above the rest with a perfect score, Velammal MHS School from India claimed the gold medal, winning all eight of their matches," FIDE said. 'They also have a champion like Anand to look up to," said S Velavan, the school's chess coordinator, in a previous interview with PTI. 'Since most children here have a genuine interest in chess, we don't need to push them. They combine their academics and chess extremely well. In fact, chess-playing students tend to excel in academics too," he added. The school follows the '7 to 17' programme—an initiative introduced in 2013 by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa—to train young chess players intensively from early childhood through their teenage years. This systematic approach has paid rich dividends. The school had previously won the FIDE World Schools Team Championship five years in a row and continues to serve as a model for chess education in India. 'Velammal MHS is no stranger to success… so it came as little surprise when the team entered the final round with the top spot already secured," FIDE noted. (with PTI inputs) view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa's alma mater wins gold at FIDE World Schools Team Championship
Velammal MHS School enjoyed a dominant run in the 2025 FIDE World Schools Team Championship in the United States in which it was guaranteed the top spot and the title before the last of the eight rounds even got underway on Wednesday. read more Students of the Velammal MHS School, Chennai, pose with their gold medals at the 2025 FIDE World Schools Team Championship in Alexandria, USA. Image credit: FIDE It's not just Grandmasters D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and his sister R Vaishali who are keeping the Indian flag flying high in the world of chess – their alma mater too is making the country proud by emerging victorious in a global event. Chennai's Velammal MHS School, after all, won gold at the World Schools Team Championship that took place in the USA and concluded on Wednesday, 6 August. Dominant Velammal miles ahead of other schools Velammal MHS School, located in Chennai's Mogappair and also counts GM Leon Luke Mendonca among its former students, enjoyed a dominant run in the tournament that took place in Alexandria, Virginia in which they were guaranteed the top spot and the title before the last of the eight rounds even got underway. Velammal finished No 1 with 16 points from eight rounds while the next three finished with 12 points each – with Kazakhstan's National School of Physics and Mathematics and USA's The Harker School winning silver and gold respectively after the tie-breaks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD International Master Ilamparthi A was the star performer for Velammal, winning seven games and drawing just one after playing all eight rounds. He even took over as Board 1 for his school after Woman FIDE Master Keerti Shree Reddy played the first three rounds. Pranav KP, who played on Board 4, was another key performer as he won six and drew one after featuring in all rounds except the second. Exciting World School Teams Championship comes to an end. Over 50 teams from all over the world came to USA, and that was a real celebration of school chess. Kudos to the Velammal school from Chennai for taking the gold medals - but this event had many more winners. Look at the… — Emilchess (@EmilSutovsky) August 7, 2025 Velammal MHS School has been a key contributor to Chennai's rich legacy when it comes to chess by providing training to hundreds of budding chess players. It follows the '7 to 17 programme' which had been introduced in schools by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa in 2013. The development comes days after Divya Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy in a historic all-Indian final at the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi Georiga, with both players confirming their place in next year's Candidates Tournament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
