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Hans India
19 hours 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
2 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
2 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
News18
2 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Velammal Vidyalaya wins gold medal at World Schools Team Championship
New Delhi, Aug 7 (PTI) Chennai's Velammal Vidyalaya, the alma mater of the youngest reigning world champion D Gukesh and grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa, has added further laurels to its cap by winning the gold medal at the World Schools Team Championship in Virginia, USA. The Velammal Vidyalaya, located in the Mogappair neighbourhood, has been a 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," FIDE wrote on Thursday. 'Set on the beautiful campus of Episcopal High School, the event brought together some of the most talented young chess players from around the world." 'Rising above the rest with a perfect score, Velammal MHS School from India claimed the gold medal, winning all eight of their matches," it added. 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 since 2005 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 has won the FIDE World School Teams Championship for five consecutive years in the past, follows the '7 to 17 programme' which was introduced in schools 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 tiebreaks". The Harker School finished third ahead of Astana 2 RSPM. 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 finished their eight games with 16 points. PTI DDV APA APA view comments First Published: August 07, 2025, 13:15 IST 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
21-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
India to host FIDE World Cup 2025 as top players get ready to fight for spot in Candidates 2026
The FIDE World Cup 2025, which will offer qualification spots for the Candidates 2026 and include some of the best players in the world, will be hosted in India in October-November. read more The FIDE World Cup 2023 final was played between R Praggnanandhaa and Magnus Carlsen with the latter winning the trophy. Image: PTI The International Chess Federation, FIDE, confirmed Monday that the World Cup 2025 will take place in India from 30 October to 27 November. The venue for the FIDE World Cup 2025 has not been announced yet, but it will include some of the best chess players in the world and The FIDE World Cup 2025, which will offer qualification spots for the Candidates 2026 and include some of the best players in the world, will be hosted in India in October-November. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'We are thrilled to bring the FIDE World Cup 2025 to India, a country with a deep-rooted passion and support for chess. Indian chess fans' enthusiasm has always been remarkable, and we anticipate great interest in the event among local chess lovers, both on-site and online," FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky said. 'To enhance the experience, FIDE is committed to organizing numerous side events, featuring tournament participants and chess legends.' FIDE World Cup 2025 format The FIDE World Cup 2025 will feature 206 players competing in a knockout format—a dynamic and unpredictable system where the losing player in each round is eliminated. The event has used several formats over the years, but since 2021, it has followed a single-elimination format. Each round spans three days: two classical games on the first two days, followed by tie-breaks on the third day, if necessary. In the first round, the top 50 players receive byes, while players seeded from 51 to 206 compete, with pairings based on the principle of the top half versus the reversed lower half. What's at stake at the FIDE World Cup 2025? The top three finishers of the 2025 World Cup will earn direct qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship. FIDE World Cup 2025: Qualification paths Players can qualify for the World Cup through various routes, including: Reigning World Champion as of June 1, 2025 Top four finishers from the FIDE World Cup 2023 Reigning Women's World Champion as of June 1, 2025 2024 World Junior Champion U-20 Qualifiers from continental events, accounting for 80 spots The 13 highest-rated players in the June 2025 FIDE standard rating list, who have not qualified Top 100 national federations from the 2024 Chess Olympiad open section, each receiving one spot 4 nominees of the FIDE president 2 nominees of the organiser
