chess world cup

Aravindh Chithambaram recently became the first Indian to qualify for the 2026 Esports chess world cup after winning at DreamHack Atlanta. Raised by his mother and grandparents after losing his father at age three, Aravindh discovered chess through his grandfather. With strong family support and guidance from coach RB Ramesh, he steadily rose through the ranks to become a national champion and elite player.

India's R Praggnanandhaa scripted a sensational repeat of history at the Norway Chess tournament in Oslo, stunning local hero and World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in a 62-move classical encounter. Meanwhile, debutante Divya Deshmukh continued her dream run in the women's section, defeating tournament leader Bibisara Assaubayeva to secure her third consecutive Armageddon victory.

Magnus Carlsen won the Chess.com Open, while Denis Lazavik beat Nihal Sarin, leaving no Indian qualified yet for the Esports World Cup 2026, as of yet. Extra qualification spots don’t pass down, increasing pressure on Sarin. He remains India’s one of the besthopes, with chances through circuit rankings and qualifiers in the evolving esports chess format.

Magnus Carlsen has declared Javokhir Sindarov the favourite to win the upcoming World Chess Championship against D Gukesh, citing Sindarov's well-rounded game. Sindarov's dominant Candidates Tournament performance, where he remained unbeaten, has impressed chess legends. Despite this, Gukesh's renowned mental resilience and ability to defend difficult positions remain significant factors in this historic, generational duel.

Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov, the youngest Candidate, is on the verge of winning the Cyprus tournament with an impressive halfway score. He needs just four more wins to secure the title. Meanwhile, in the women's section, Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk leads the pack, undefeated and aiming for victory.

"My performance in the last few events has been quite disappointing, not just for me, but for all of you who support me," wrote Gukesh on X.

At the Times of India Sports Awards 2025, Divya Deshmukh won Emerging Sportsperson of the Year. The 20-year-old shone globally, winning the Women’s chess world cup, becoming India’s 88th Grandmaster and fourth female GM, and qualifying for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, marking her rise as a future world title contender.

Koneru Humpy made history as the first Indian woman to reach the FIDE Women’s chess world cup semifinals, securing her spot with a draw against China's Song Yuxin. In another quarterfinal, Harika Dronavalli and Divya Deshmukh's match went to a tiebreaker. Vaishali Rameshbabu exited after losing to Tan Zhongyi.

Peter Svidler turned black into his advantage as he won the second game against Ruslan Ponomariov and stormed into the final of the chess world cup.

World No.1 Magnus Carlsen praised Indian teen R Praggnanandhaa's strong tie-break skills in the ongoing FIDE chess world cup final. The second game of the final ended in a draw after 30 moves on Wednesday. The winner will be determined by two tie-breaks on Thursday.

The wonderful run of R Praggnanandhaa in the FIDE chess world cup will power Indian chess to further heights globally, said a set of players and officials. Praggnanandhaa finished runner-up to world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen on Thursday in the chess world cup at Baku, Azerbaijan. "This is a wonderful moment for Indian chess. It doesn't matter that Praggnanandhaa could not win the World Cup.

Pentala Harikrishna capped a good day for India in the chess world cup at Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia on Sunday.

The first game in the fourth round on Tuesday proved to be disastrous for the dark horses of the chess world cup.

After drawing the first two games, India's Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Norway's Magnus Carlsen are set to clash in the tie-breaks of the chess world cup at Baku in Azerbaijan on Thursday.

Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy played to a draw in the second classical game of the FIDE Women’s chess world cup final, setting the stage for tiebreaks. Despite Humpy's slight opening advantage, Divya's solid defense and strategic pawn structure led to a balanced game. The tiebreaks will determine the winner in rapid and blitz formats.

19-year-old Divya Deshmukh, from Nagpur, achieved a historic win. She became the first Indian and youngest to secure the FIDE Women’s chess world cup in Georgia. In the final, she defeated Koneru Humpy. Divya's rapid game strategy led to her victory. She is now the fourth Indian woman to earn the GM title.

Goa will host the FIDE World Cup 2025 from October 31 to November 27, featuring 206 players competing for a $2 million prize and 3 qualifying spots for 2026 Candidates Tournament. This eight-round knockout event marks a significant moment for Indian chess, following recent triumphs like D Gukesh's World Championship and team victories at the Chess Olympiad.

Peter Svidler played a gem of the game to defeat compatriot Alexander Grischuk to take a firm grip of his four-game final in the chess world cup.

Abhijeet Gupta kept Indian hopes alive by storming into the third round (pre-quarterfinals) of the chess world cup at Khanty-Mansiysk on Thursday.

Seven Indian players including former World Champion Viswanathan Anand will be taking part in the chess world cup to be held in Tbilisi, Georgia, from September 2 to 27.

It's likely to be a keen contest when Alexander Grischuk and Peter Svidler take their seats against each other in the final of the chess world cup starting on Friday.

With white, Abhijeet Gupta was probably expected to get more than a draw in the first game of his third-round match against Bu Xiangzhi in the chess world cup on Saturday.

Italian Grandmaster Lorenzo Lodici, the lowest-rated GM in the FIDE chess world cup, has captured attention by defeating a seasoned English player. Lodici, Italy's top player, actively engages with fans, seeing it as crucial for popularizing the game. He dreams of achieving significant fame for Italian chess, akin to tennis star Sinner's impact.

With the young Gupta's exit with a scoreline of 0.5-1.5, India's challenge in the World Cup has ended.

Several GMs were quick to play the Comfort Gambit – French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, better known as MVL, among them. “I think it’s better that jeans are allowed, not all jeans of course, but normal jeans,” MVL told TOI on Saturday, his jeans paired with a casual shirt.

Alexander Grischuk of Russia knocked Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine via the speed chess tiebreaker in the semifinals to set up a four-game final against Peter Svidler.

Vassily Ivanchuk was the only one to score a full point in the first game of the quarterfinals of the World Cup, his opponent Teimour Radjabov collapsing under a ruthless attack.

Vidit Gujrathi has qualified for the chess world cup 2021 on the basis of his rating. The mega-event is all set to take place in Russia from July 10.

"Retirement" and "stopping" are two words Viswanathan Anand hears quite often these days. But despite 2017 not quite turning out to be his year so far, the chess wizard has not given any thought to quitting.

In the reverse game with black, the Hungarian fought all the way, declined a draw to Peter Svidler in the quarterfinals of the chess world cup at KHanty-Mansiysk.