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The Hindu
30 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Bodhana Sivanandan becomes youngest female chess player to defeat a Grandmaster
British chess player Bodhana Sivanandan became the youngest female player to defeat a Grandmaster at the British Chess Championships in Liverpool on Sunday. Sivanandan defeated 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells to achieve the feat. The youngster, who is a Women's FIDE Master, was ten years, five months, and one day when she broke the record. 🇬🇧♟👏 British sensation Bodhana Sivanandan has made history by becoming the youngest female chess player ever to beat a grandmaster! The 10-year-old, from Harrow, pulled off the win on Sunday against 60-year-old Grandmaster Peter Wells in the last round of the 2025 British… — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 11, 2025 She also picked up her first Woman Grand Master (WGM) norm during the competition. Sivanandan claimed the record from American Carissa Yip, who was 10 years, 11 months and 20 days when she set the record in 2019. Victory in the event was also earned her a third norm to secure a Woman International Master (WIM), making her the youngest to do so. Related Topics FIDE
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Divya Deshmukh dominates again, topples China's Lei Tingjie to reach Women's Speed Chess Championship quarterfinals
Indian teenage prodigy Divya Deshmukh is just unstoppable at the moment as she continues to dominate her opponents while putting cracks in the great Chinese wall and their dominance with each passing game. Divya's latest prey was China's Lei Tingjie, who finished fourth in the recently concluded FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia. India's latest (88th) Grandmaster and only the fourth female GM from the country after winning the Women's World Cup, Divya, beat Lei in the Women's Speed Chess Championship 2025 on Monday. Divya annihilated Lei 10-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the event conducted by in an online format. A high-on-confidence Divya decimated Lei with both white and black pieces. She lost only one game while ending up winning eight and drawing four to get an eight-point win over the Chinese. Earlier, Divya beat compatriot Koneru Humpy in the finals of the Women's World Cup for her biggest win in her career. Winning the FIDE Women's World Cup also helped her secure a spot in the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament, where eight players will battle for the right to challenge the reigning women's world champion Ju Wenjun in the next Women's World Championship. Divya will next be up against another Chinese, this time World No. 1 Hou Yifan, in the quarterfinals. Hou beat her opponent 11-3 in a lopsided pre-quarters against Karina Ambartsumova. Another Indian in the event, R. Vaishali, had lost her round of 16 clash against the USA's Alice Lee and took an early exit. The Women's Speed Chess Championship is an online single-elimination tournament featuring 16 players, comprising eight qualifiers and eight direct invites, competing for a total prize pool of $75,000. All matches follow a three-segment structure with different time controls. In the round of 16 and quarterfinals, players first compete in 5+1 games (5 minutes with a 1-second increment per move) for 45 minutes, followed by 3+1 games (3 minutes + 1-second increment) for 30 minutes, and conclude with 1+1 games (1 minute + 1-second increment) for 15 minutes. The semifinals and finals expand these segments to 75 minutes of 5+1 games, 50 minutes of 3+1 games, and 25 minutes of 1+1 games. The scoring system awards 1 point for a win and 0.5 points to each player for a draw, with the match winner being the competitor who accumulates the most points across all segments.
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First Post
3 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
R Praggnanandhaa explains southern India's domination of chess: 'We have this starting advantage...'
R Praggnanandhaa, India's top-ranked player in the Classical format at No 4, added that while the South, especially the city of Chennai, remains a bastion of Indian chess, the sport is growing across the country with talent emerging from all parts. read more The southern part of India, especially the state of Tamil Nadu and the city of Chennai, remains something of a nursery for Indian chess as it continues to produce world-class talent generation after generation. From the legendary Viswanathan Anand, India's first Grandmaster and a five-time world champion, and Koneru Humpy, who took women's chess in India to another level, to the emergence of young stars such as reigning world champion D Gukesh as well as R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi, the south has quite the rich legacy when it comes to chess. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Praggnanandhaa, Anand's influence and the presence of a strong chess culture are the two key reasons behind the south's domination of chess in India. 'One of the reasons is because of Anand sir. I came from Chennai and there is already an existing system where there are tournaments happening regularly, where there are a lot of trainers. And that's why we have this starting advantage so to say, that we get the opportunities there,' the 20-year-old Grandmaster said on the Figuring Out With Raj Shamani podcast. Praggnanandhaa says chess growing everywhere in India these days 'Pragg', who currently is the highest-rated Indian in the Classical format at No 4, added that while the South remains a bastion for Indian chess, the sport is 'growing everywhere in India', with young talent emerging from all parts of the nation including from the North. 'But right now I think it's growing everywhere in India. There are kids coming from all over India, and that's one of the reasons why India is growing because there's just so much competition within us, and then when you go and play abroad, you are just so much stronger,' added Praggnanandhaa, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday. Gukesh had recently become only the second Indian after Anand to be crowned Classical world champion, also becoming the youngest to achieve the feat. Arjun too had emulated one of Anand's many incredible feats in chess, that of breaching the 2800-rating barrier. Praggnanandhaa, meanwhile, had pulled off the biggest victory of his career earlier this year when he defeated Gukesh in the tie-breaks to win the Tata Steel Chess tournament. As for Humpy, she had recently become only the second player in chess history to be crowned women's rapid world champion more than once. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And it's not just individual feats; Chennai also happens to host the strongest Classical tournament, the Chennai Grand Masters, which currently is underway. And Velammal MHS School, Gukesh and Pragg's alma mater, had recently won gold at the FIDE World Schools Team Championship.
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Watching Magnus Carlsen at 2: How 5-year-old Aarini Lahoty became India's No. 1 among youngest chess talents
Aarini Lahoty becomes FIDE-rated chess player at the age of 5 (Special Arrangements) NEW DELHI: In late 2020, Magnus Carlsen , then still a four-time World Chess Champion, was set to lock horns against challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi. However, the much-anticipated clash was postponed due to the COVID-19. A year later, when the Norwegian finally faced the Russian in an over-the-board battle in Dubai, nearly 2,200 km away, in a Lajpat Nagar household in New Delhi, a two-year-old toddler named Aarini Lahoty was glued to the television. While she had little idea of what was at stake, her keen eyes followed the moving pieces on the board. She was determined to name them correctly whenever her father, Surendar Lahoty, a chess player himself, pointed at the TV screen. Pawn, knight, king — she knew them all. Exclusive Interview: How Aarini Lahoty, 5, Leads India's Youngest Chess Talents Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Fast forward to August 2025: Aarini Lahoty has become her school's princess, Delhi's newest chess gem, and India's highest-rated player in her age group, across boys and girls, among those born after 2019. A FIDE rating of 1551, as of August 11, 2025, puts the five-year-old far ahead of her peers of the same age or younger. As a result, father Surendar, now a sports coach at Bluebells School International, where Aarini also studies, has been grinning, nodding and all but drowning in a flood of congratulatory greetings. 'Because I get to move first' Ask Aarini to introduce herself, and she answers without hesitation: 'Aarini Lahoty. From Delhi, New Delhi.' Does she like playing chess? 'Yes.' Which side? 'White… because I get to make the first move.' She knows she became the youngest female FIDE-rated player in India. 'Yes,' she says with a wry smile when asked if she's feeling good about it. The attention from well-wishers? 'Yes.' Her favourite chess player? 'My dad.' Not Carlsen, not reigning World Chess Champion D Gukesh, not India's cureent No. 1 R Praggnanandhaa, just her father. Aarini Lahoty (Special Arrangements) She did enjoy watching Divya Deshmukh win the FIDE Women's World Cup recently, and she wants to be like her. 'Yes,' she nods firmly. She insists she loves both studying and chess equally. Her favourite subject is EVS. Does she get nervous facing older, stronger players? 'No… I just keep playing. Sometimes I make blunders,' she tells in an exclusive interaction. A proud coach-father 'That feeling was truly amazing — as a parent and as her coach. Our child has come forward and broken the record. The pride is for everyone — school, family, everywhere,' Surendar admits. The 33-year-old, originally from Rajasthan but raised in Assam, has been a competitive player himself, earning a FIDE rating in his very first nationals. Today, he runs the IGSF Chess Academy in Delhi and coaches at her daughter's school. He says Aarini's chess journey began almost as soon as she could walk. 'From the age of one, she would set up the board herself. During lockdown, she watched me teach online and began moving pieces correctly. She's truly adventurous, her name even means that.' Aarini Lahoty plays chess with her father (Special Arrangements) From the outset, he ensured she played in open categories. 'She has competed in Under-7, Under-9, and Under-11, not just her age group. Losing is fine; what matters is learning. That's what I was taught by my father late Vijay Lahoty, and I passed it on to her.' A day in the life of a 5-year-old champ At home, Aarini's day is as structured as her chessboard. 'After school, she rests for an hour-and-a-half, then plays outside. Her mother takes care of her studies, I focus on her chess. She loves puzzles so much she often sends me photos saying, 'Please answer this right now' if she's stuck,' says Surendar. The family ensures there is no unhealthy pressure. 'We keep it balanced: studies, chess, swimming. The school is very supportive and gives her the freedom to focus on her dreams,' he adds. The road ahead With Indian chess in a golden era, D Gukesh as World Champion, and stars like Humpy, Harika, Praggnanandhaa and Divya inspiring new players, Aarini represents the very youngest wave of this boom. ALSO READ: The Mother's Gambit: How a housewife's trick to make dinner prepped a record-breaking 8-year-old in Punjab Her father's vision is clear: 'We want her to become the youngest IM and GM of India, and make everyone proud.' But for now, Aarini continues to juggle school, play, and chess with a calm confidence that belies her age. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
News18
15 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Was Magnus Carlsen A 'Limited' Player? Viswanathan Anand Says 'Areas Where No One...'
Last Updated: Viswanathan Anand has spoken on Magnus Carlsen's growth from a limited player to an unbeatable chess force, emphasising his endgame skills. Legendary Indian chess player Viswanathan Anand has said that Magnus Carlsen used to be a limited player, in the sense that some of his tactics in the endgame and technical positions were brilliant, which made him almost impossible to beat for a long period. It was Carlsen who ended Anand's long reign at the pinnacle of the sport and he has spoken in detail about the former's style of play and what made him an unbeatable beast. Anand elaborated on what happened in 2013 and 2014 when he first lost his World Championship title to Carlsen and then couldn't recapture it in 2015 after winning the Candidates. 'As for Magnus, he used to be quite a limited player, very, very good in that specific area. He limited himself to areas where no one else was focusing, like the endgame and dry technical positions," Anand said while speaking on Prakhar Gupta's podcast. 'He (Carlsen) saw potential where others saw paint drying and he was able to lure a lot of unsuspecting chess players to their doom over and over again. He was cashing in those points before people learned the hard way to take those positions seriously and start working on them," Anand said. 'Dry positions, where it seems you're just on the way to making a draw… he understood that you still need to be precise. When people relax, they stop being precise; they go through the motions but aren't paying attention anymore," Anand added. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Champion and the reigning (shared with Ian Nepomniachtchi) eight-time World Blitz Chess Champion. Carlsen has held the No. 1 position in the FIDE rankings since 1 July 2011, the longest successive streak and trails just Garry Kasparov in time spent as the highest-rated player in the world. His peak rating of 2882 is the highest in history. view comments First Published: 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.
