Latest news with #GlobalChessLeague
Indian Express
3 minutes ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Chennai Grand Masters: Nihal Sarin turns to Vishnu Prasanna to improve his classical game
Magnus Carlsen has played 7,535 games on which includes 1,811 bullet, a chess variant played with fast time controls, typically under 3 minutes per player. These figures completely vanish in the shadow when one talks about Nihal Sarin. The 21-year-old has so far played more than 55,000 games on alone with over 22,000 in bullet. Speed chess has been Nihal's strength, a reason why he features more in those tournaments. But it has also had an effect on his classical game. Take the ongoing Chennai Grand Masters event for example. In three rounds so far, he has lost twice and drawn one. And in each of the games he lost – first against Vincent Keymer and on Saturday to Vidit Gujrathi, he was in the game before losing his way. Against Gujrathi, at one point on Saturday afternoon, the eval bar even showed Nihal was ahead of the game before going down again. The lone drawn encounter for Nihal in his visit to Chennai has come against Anish Giri. At the playing venue here, over the past three days as Nihal was blowing good openings, Vishnu Prasanna has been analysing each and every move of his. With his classical game 'stagnating', Nihal turned to Prasanna towards the end of 2024 during the Global Chess League. Having moulded D Gukesh in his early years, bringing Prasanna on board was no brainer. Although Prasanna didn't say 'yes' immediately, in January they met again to understand what exactly Nihal wanted. 'In January, he came down to Chennai for another programme. I have been working with him since March and we have had decent results. Right now, we are looking to see what we can do at the World Cup, Grand Swiss and generally get his ratings (in Classical) higher. That is my main goal,' Prasanna says. When Nihal became a GM in 2018 at age of 14, he was supposed to be the next big name in Indian chess. Seven years later, his peers Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa have all gone ahead of him in Classical and Nihal still remains the lone one yet to touch 2700. Srinath Narayanan who coached Nihal during his early years says it is all about gaining confidence. 'He's hard on himself because he was once seen as the leader of this young pack but now he's seen his peers go past him. If you see these three games here, he has actually played well, but not finishing off the games is a matter of confidence. He needs to build that back up,' Srinath says. Prasanna points to Nihal's formative years in particular, where most of his chess lessons were from online as a possible reason. When Prasanna was coaching Gukesh, one of the key things he did was to keep the 19-year-old away from online games. 'I worked with Gukesh when he was very young so I had the opportunity to shape him. Now, I have to adapt to Nihal. His approach to the game is very different but also how do we turn it into results. There's definitely a lot of talent, I have never seen someone like him but we have to make it into something practical. How to turn that talent into results is the question,' Prasanna says. With speed chess being Nihal's obvious strength, during training sessions Prasanna is ensuring a lot of the time goes into preparing for classical. 'He has to find his own way. He is a bit of a unique talent, I would say. That is what I have observed. I have not seen any player approach chess or train chess in the way he does. We are trying to figure out what we can do to make him show results based on the way he approaches chess, based on his results. His early chess education is not traditional, there's a gap there. What can we do is ensure his enthusiasm and his interest doesn't wane. And he still produces results,' Prasanna adds. There have been encouraging results on the way as well, but Prasanna does admit that Nihal has stagnated a bit. 'We went to the Asian, he got silver there. Right now, we're looking to see what we can do at the World Cup, Grand Swiss, and generally to get his rating higher. That is my main goal with him. He's been stagnating for a while. He's already very good at the other formats. Like eSports and online Chess. He doesn't really need my expertise there. He's already at the top. We came up with some ideas for the eSports World Cup and it worked well, especially in the qualification stage,' Prasanna says. Prasanna also has one eye on improving Nihal's rating with 2700 being the gold standard. 'I'm focused mostly on Classical. We tried to come up with ideas. In speed chess, anything would work for him there. But Classical, we're trying to rapidly progress his rating, and also do well in these official events. All our training is around that,' he says. Results (Rd 3): Masters: Vincent Keymer bt Murali Karthikeyan, Anish Giri drew with V Pranav, Vidit Gujrathi bt Nihal Sarin, Arjun Erigaisi bt Ray Robson, Awonder Liang bt Jorden van Foreest. Challengers: Abhimanyu Puranik bt GB Harshavardhan, Leon Mendonca bt R Vaishali, B Adhiban drew with D Harika, M Pranesh bt P Iniyan, Aryan Chopra drew with Diptayan Ghosh
Time of India
a day ago
- Sport
- Time of India
India to host third edition of Global Chess League in December; adds to country's busy chess calendar
India will host the third edition of the Global Chess League (GCL) from December 13-24, 2025. The tournament, featuring six franchises with six players each including both male and female competitors, will conclude just before the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Qatar. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Global Chess League was hosted in Dubai for its inaugural edition and London last year. The tournament follows a double round-robin format where each franchise competes against others twice during the event. Previous seasons of the GCL have attracted top chess players globally, including former world champions , , and Hou Yifan. Other notable participants have included rising stars Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, along with established players Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura, and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The 2025 calendar marks a significant increase in international chess events being hosted in India. The country has already successfully organised several major tournaments this year, including the Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament, the Pune Women's Grand Prix event, and currently the Chennai Grandmasters event. India's chess calendar for 2025 will be further enriched by hosting the FIDE World Cup, scheduled from October 30 to November 27. The host city for this prestigious event is yet to be announced. The growing prominence of India in international chess events faced a minor setback when a planned event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour had to be cancelled. The organisers were unable to secure sufficient funding from Indian corporate entities to proceed with the tournament.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Global Chess League to be hosted by India this year after two seasons abroad
After two seasons abroad, this edition of the Global Chess League (GCL) will be hosted by India this year, the league announced on Thursday along with dates for the league. The organisers said that the GCL will be held from 13th to 24th December this year. The dates mean that the league will end very close to the start of the traditional year-ending FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship, which is usually held over the Christmas and New Year window. FIDE has already revealed that the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship this year will be held in Qatar. The first edition of the Global Chess League was hosted in Dubai while last year, the event was held in London. The Global Chess League frequently sees some of the top stars in the sport come out and represent the six franchises. Last season, the Global Chess League had seen stars like former world champions Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand and Hou Yifan headline teams along with players like Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Alireza Firouzja, Hikaru Nakamura and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Each of the six teams in the Global Chess League have six players each, both male and female. Each franchise plays a double round robin event. The third edition of the Global Chess League being hosted in India means that after years of having just a handful of international tournaments in India, 2025 will see an explosion of chess events in India. This year, the country has already hosted events like the Delhi International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament, the Pune Women's Grand Prix event, and the ongoing Chennai Grandmasters event. The FIDE World Cup will also be hosted by India, with the host city yet to be confirmed. The World Cup will be hosted between October 30 to November 27. India was also meant to play host to an event of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, but that was scrapped with organisers unable to raise enough funds from Indian corporates for having it.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
‘Magnus Carlsen's respect for D Gukesh is only going to grow' – What does it even mean?
NEW DELHI: 'It's like writing an article: if you have more time, then you do better work,' Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan explains the basic difference between classical chess and the faster formats like rapid and blitz. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On Sunday, the faster format saw the redemption of whom many consider 'the greatest of all time,' . Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! After watching reigning World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju lead the way in the rapid event at the Super United Rapid and Blitz in Croatia, Carlsen pulled out his 'B-game'—his words—to prove that it was 'usually enough' to claim yet another title. After the win, he made a cheeky post with the caption 'haters' on social media, only to delete it shortly after. A message received, nonetheless. Earlier that day, all eyes were on the marquee clash: Carlsen vs. Gukesh, a battle of titans that ended unexpectedly in a 14-move Berlin draw lasting just more than a minute. There were no theatrics, no psychological jabs, just a quiet handshake. Gukesh appeared unruffled. Carlsen looked visibly irked, stealing a glance at the display board and shrugging a couple of times as he made his way out. Yet, in that muted draw lay another chapter of a rivalry that has come to define this transition era in world chess. Carlsen has never minced his words. In recent times, Gukesh has found himself in the Norwegian's crosshairs—perhaps unintentionally, but tellingly. From downplaying his credentials as World Champion to doubting Gukesh's acumen in faster formats, Carlsen has raised subtle but sharp questions. The thing is, Gukesh has always answered them—not with words, but with moves. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Although Carlsen eventually clinched the Norway Chess title earlier this year, it was Gukesh who rattled the home favourite on his own turf, enough to make the Scandinavian bang the table in frustration—a moment that quickly grabbed social media's attention. Ahead of the Zagreb tournament, Carlsen struck again, saying: 'Gukesh hasn't done anything to indicate that he's going to do well in such a tournament.' Many, including the 34-year-old, expected Gukesh's perceived shortcomings in quicker formats to be exposed again. Instead, the 19-year-old beat Carlsen, led the rapid section, and finished third overall in Croatia. 'Sometimes when players compare levels, they remember their own best games and someone else's bad ones,' GM Pravin Thipsay, who coached a franchise featuring Carlsen in the Global Chess League, told 'That creates a gap in perception. A player's level is their worst and best together. 'He may still be the world No. 1, but that doesn't give him the right to undermine others. Even Garry Kasparov didn't win everything. And when Kasparov made such comments, he at least had the grace to acknowledge when he was wrong.' Thipsay also pointed to Carlsen's waning motivation in classical formats: 'When the genuine feeling develops that you're much better than someone else, and then it becomes surprising when you're not able to beat them. That's where the lack of motivation creeps in. " Frankly speaking, Magnus has a different kind of problem too: his inability to concentrate for two, three, or four hours is real. It's a serious issue,' suggesting that outbursts like banging the table stem from a deeper frustration: an unwillingness to fully accept that younger players like Gukesh are quickly catching up. 'Gukesh is very composed,' said 65-year-old Thipsay. 'Even when Carlsen banged the table, he didn't react. That shows maturity. The younger generation is mentally tougher. They're trained to stay in control.' GM Srinath Narayanan, captain and coach of the Indian men's team that won the gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, believes the rivalry, while compelling, is being shaped more by narratives than direct hostility. 'Carlsen tends to be blunt, and because he's Carlsen, everything he says is magnified,' he said. 'But I don't think he's targeting Gukesh personally. It's a rivalry like many others, made sharper because one is the World Champion, and the other is still the highest-rated player.' In Srinath's words, the current scenario reminds him of the early 2000s, when a young Carlsen was the challenger, taking on legends like Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik. 'There was skepticism back then too. Now, Carlsen finds himself on the other side of that equation,' Srinath observed. 'In the chess world, Magnus is the benchmark for everyone. There's still a global belief that he's the best player out there. Maybe not forever, but certainly for now. I remember at the 2019 World Rapid and Blitz, he didn't do too well in the rapid, especially on day two. I played him that day and managed to beat him. But on day three, he started playing faster. He performed much better in the blitz that followed. That's Magnus,' he added. 'Carlsen's respect for Gukesh is probably only going to grow. Of course, it depends on how Gukesh develops. But in these situations, the younger player usually keeps rising while the older one gradually declines. At some point, Gukesh might well surpass Carlsen, though that still depends on many factors.' Carlsen may still be the GOAT, but Gukesh is getting ever closer to it. And the best part? He's doing it without any gimmick.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
'Worst way to ... ': World No 1 Magnus Carlsen expresses disappointment over Oklahoma City Thunder's NBA triumph
FILE - Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, left, of SG Alpine Warriors plays against Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Chingari Gulf Titans during Global Chess League in Dubai United Arab Emirates, on July 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File) Magnus Carlsen expressed disappointment that the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA title on his wife's birthday. The Thunder, who led the league in defensive rating during both the regular season and the playoffs, turned in another gem in Game 7 of the NBA Finals—a 103–91 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. Oklahoma City held the Pacers to 41.4% shooting in the decisive game, well below the 48.4% Indiana had averaged in the playoffs. The Thunder also forced 21 turnovers and blocked eight shots. The World No. 1 chess player wrote on X: "Worst way to start the day when I open the NBA app in no-spoilers mode, click on 'All Possessions.' It shows images of Haliburton going down and OKC celebrating before the video even starts. Oh well, happy birthday to my wife, I guess." Oklahoma City captured the franchise's first championship since 1979, when the team was known as the Seattle SuperSonics. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the regular season MVP and now the Finals MVP, posted 29 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds. He became just the third player to record at least 25 points and 12 assists in an NBA Finals Game 7, joining Walt Frazier and Jerry West. The Pacers suffered a devastating blow early in the first quarter when Tyrese Haliburton injured his Achilles while driving to the basket. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo After suffering a calf strain in Game 5, Haliburton had fought through the pain in Game 6 and tried to gut it out in the final game of the series, according to NBA reports. According to the Thunder entered the 2024–25 season as the youngest team in the league, with an average age of 24.148 years. Based on calculations from the Thunder currently have the second-lowest average age in the league overall, and the sixth-lowest when factoring in player minutes. Following their triumph, Oklahoma City will host a Champions Parade on June 24 in downtown Oklahoma City. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here . Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
