R Praggnanandhaa

Grand chess tour: R Praggnanandhaa finishes last in rapid section

Indian grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa had a rare bad in the office, finishing at the bottom of the table in the rapid section of Saint Louis Rapid and blitz chess tournament here. Having lost three and drawn three coming into the third and final day of rapid competition, Praggnanadhaa lost to Lenier Dominguez of the United States in the seventh round. Another American Hikaru Nakamura also proved too stronger for the Indian in the final game. In in the eighth round, the Indian played out a draw with Alireza Firouzja of France to finish his event at a disappointing four points out of a possible 18. Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia and French duo of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Firouzja were tied for the top spot on 11 points each in what was one of the closely contested rapid section of the Grand Chess tour. The three leaders at this point are followed by Armenian-turned-American Levon Aronian, a full point behind, and USA's Wesley So, Dominguez and Nakamura, who share the fifth on nine poin

Delhi joins Chennai, Singapore in race to host chess World Championship

Delhi has joined Chennai and Singapore in the race to host the World Championship match between D. Gukesh and China's Ding Liren after the All India Chess Federation backed the national capital's bid while accusing the Tamil Nadu government of acting unilaterally by pushing the southern city's name. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) CEO Emil Sutovsky on Saturday said all three cities have submitted their bids and they "meet the criteria". Sutovsky added Chennai was the first to bid for the much-anticipated match in November-December this year, while the New Delhi bid came in last. "Three bids to host the FIDE World Championship Match-2024. Chennai, Singapore, New Delhi (in order of submission). All meet the criteria," Sutovsky wrote on 'X'. The international chess body's council will discuss the issue and announce the winner later this month. "Next week FIDE Council to discuss it -- representatives of the bidders invited to share details and take questions. Final decision

Norway Chess: Praggnanandhaa claims maiden classical win over Carlsen

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa crushed world number one Magnus Carlsen for the first time in Classical format to emerge as the sole leader in the Norway chess tournament here. Having beating him a few times in online and faster versions of the game and after losing to him in the finale of the last World Cup, Praggnanandhaa finally got past the home favourite in what would be known as a clear classical triumph. Following the third-round win, the 18-year-old Indian now leads the men's section with 5.5 points in all, half a point clear of USA's Fabiano Caruana who scored his first victory in classical against reigning world champion Ding Liren of China. Carlsen, on three points, looks like a distant third for now in the updated standings but with each classical win worth three points, this might not hold for too long. Hikaru Nakamura of United States, Firouzja Alireza of France and Liren are all joint fourth currently on 2.5 points in the six-player double round-robin contest. "

Playing Carlsen in his home turf not challenge for me, says Praggnanandhaa

Having beaten Magnus Carlsen several times in the last couple of years, young Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa feels he will be under no pressure when he takes on the multiple-time world champion in his home turf during the Norway Chess tournament, which gets underway here on May 27. Praggnanandhaa last beat the 33-year-old Carlsen in the Superbet rapid and blitz tournament, a part of the Grand Chess Tour, in Warsaw earlier this month. "I don't think playing Magnus in his home turf is a challenge for me. Usually, it matters to the player playing in his home but it won't matter so much for me," said Praggnanandhaa, who will also have his sister R. Vaishali playing the Norway Chess Women's Tournament for the first time. The 11-day tournament will see a very strong field including the likes of world champion Ding Liren and Hikaru Nakamura besides home favourite Carlsen. Reflecting on his contest with Carlsen at last year's FIDE World Cup where Praggnanandhaa gave the Norwegian a .

Candidates: Gukesh downs Abasov to jump into joint lead with Nepomniachtchi

Grandmaster D Gukesh grabbed a share of the lead alongside Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi by becoming the only Indian to post a win in the fifth round of the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament, outwitting Azerbaijan's Nijat Abasov in a hard-fought contest here. With nine rounds still to come in the double round-robin event, Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi share the top spot with 3.5 points and they are followed by top-seeded American Fabio Caruana half a point behind. American Hikaru Nakamura was the other winner on the day against Firouza Alireza of France while Indian teen R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw with overnight sole leader Nepomniachtchi. Vidit Gujrathi also put an end to his losses by settling for a draw with Caruana. Praggnanandhaa and Nakamura share the fourth spot with 2.5 points followed closely by Gujrathi on two points. Alireza and Abasov share the last position on 1.5 points apiece. In the Women's competition, nothing changed in terms of standings with all the four games

Indian performance satisfactory at Candidates:GMs Barua and Thipsay

Indian Grandmasters Dibyendu Barua and Pravin Thipsay are quite impressed with how the country's five-strong contingent, led by the prodigal R Praggnanandhaa, has performed so far at the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament here. The Candidates tournament has a rest day after four rounds of intensive chess with Ian Nepomniachtchit from Russia leading the standings. India's D Gukesh is a joint second on the table with Praggnanandhaa at fourth along with Vidit Gujrathi. With 10 rounds still to go, Barua feels that Koneru Humpy can still strike back in the women's competition after succumbing to her first defeat at the hands of lowest seed and youngest participant Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria, "Vidit can bounce back and Gukesh can score well. I would not rate Humpy out of equations as yet, she has the acumen and a great will to won, we will know in a few days," Barua, a three-time national champion who was second Indian chess player after Viswanathan Anand to become a GM, told PTI.

Candidates: Praggnanandhaa to meet Firouza, Gukesh to clash with Vidit

India's best bet, Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa will start his campaign against French Alireza Firouza and it will be an all-Indian affair between D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi in the first round of the Candidates chess tournament that has begun here. An all-American duel will be fought between two highest-ranked players Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. In the other contest of the day, Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan will take on the lone Russian Ian Nepomniachtchi. In the women's section too, the two Indians, R Vaishali and Koneru Humpy are pitted against each other and the two Russians Aleksandra Goryachkina and Kateryna Lagno will also be battling out in the first round. The two Chinese Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi are also slated to meet each other and Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine will face the youngest participant Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria. While the pairings were announced a few weeks ago, the only thing that might matter is the start for each of the eight participants in the doubl

FIDE Candidates: R Praggnanandhaa enters as India's best bet | Chess

Teen sensation R Praggnanandhaa will enter as the favourite among the three Indian participants in the Candidates chess tournament that will get underway here from Wednesday to decide the challenger for the next world championship match. After nearly 35 years as many as three Indians Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh and Vidit Gujrathi -- have qualified for the most prestigious event of the year that has just eight participants. According to an expert, India is the new Russia of the chess world, as in the past such dominance was only shown by Russian players. Praggnanandhaa, 18, starts as the rating favourite among Indians and also as the favourite of the chess buffs even though the top bracket of the world feels that all the three Indian youngsters still need time to settle among the world elite. Fearless and psychologically sound, Praggnandhaa will likely have the assistance of eight-time Russian champion Peter Svidler for the event. One cannot help but recall that during one of the worl

All games drawn in final round, Praggnanandhaa finishes joint second

R Praggnanandhaa tried hard but had to settle for a draw with David Navara of Czech Republic in the final round of Prague Masters chess tournament that concluded here on Thursday. Praggnanandhaa can take heart from the fact that he goes in to the candidates as the top rated Indian slated to be held in about four weeks from now in Toronto. It took a mammoth effort from FIDE and various channels to resolve the visa issue for the candidates but as of now everything seems to be in order for one of the biggest events of the year. With five draws happening between 10 players in the final round nothing actually changed. Abdusattarov had won the event with a round to spare clocking 6/8 and he inched up to 6.5 points for probably his career best performance. Praggnanandhaa to his credit ended on a plus score clocking five points alongside Parham Maghsoodloo of Iran and surprise packet Ngyen Thai Dai Van of Czech Republic with all three of them tallying five points out of a possible ...

Praggnanandhaa pips chess legend Viswanathan Anand to become India's No 1

Teenaged Indian chess superstar R Praggnanandhaa defeated world champion Ding Liren of China in the fourth round of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament here, a win which also helped him surpass the legendary Viswanathan Anand as the top-rated Indian player. After the victory late on Tuesday night, the 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa has 2748.3 points as against 2748 of five-time world champion Anand in the FIDE live ratings. The world chess body publishes the ratings at the start of each month. With the 62-move win with black pieces, Praggnanandhaa became the second Indian after Anand to defeat a reigning world champion in classical chess. Praggnanandhaa had also beaten Liren at the 2023 Tata Steel tournament. "That feels good!" Praggnanandhaa said after the win. He is now third in the standings with 2.5 points in the Masters event. The teenaged Indian GM has been in good form in recent times, having finished runner-up in the World Cup to Magnus Carlsen last year to qualify for the Candid

Praggnanandhaa's success inspires countless young Indians: Gautam Adani

Indian chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa has got a new admirer in business tycoon Gautam Adani, who on Thursday announced his decision to support the 18-year-old Grandmaster. Adani shared on 'X' a picture of his meeting with Praggnanandhaa as he described the Chennai-based chess star as an inspiration for countless young Indians to bring laurels for the country. "It's a privilege to support Praggnanandhaa as he continues to win laurels in the world of chess and make India proud," Adaniu wrote. "His success is an inspiration to countless young Indians to believe that nothing is more gratifying than standing on the podium to celebrate our nation's greatness. "Praggnanandhaa represents what India can and will be all about. I wish him all the very best." Praggnanandhaa is the fifth youngest Grandmaster ever, having attained the rank at the age of 12 in 2018. He won the Xtracon Chess Open in Denmark in 2019, followed by the World Youth Championships in the U-18 category the same year. In

Praggnanandhaa to work with ISRO to promote science & technology: Somanath

ISRO chairman S Somanath on Monday said chess grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa would be working with the nation's space agency to promote science and technology among the young people. Speaking to reporters here after visiting the young chess prodigy here at his residence, Somanath said, "...we are proud we have a Pragyan (rover) on the moon, and he is Praggnanandhaa on the ground...what we did for India on the moon, he has accomplished on the land." Further, the ISRO chief said: "He is also going to work with us to promote space, so I am very happy that Praggnanandhaa will be working with us to inspire young people to take science, engineering, and technology to make India a very proud and powerful nation." Somanath said he believed Praggnanandhaa, now world no 15 in ranking, would become the number one in the days to come and he has all the brilliance needed for that.

Asian Games 2023: Indian men and women's chess teams clinch silver medals

The Indian men's and women's chess teams won silver medals at the Asian Games here on Saturday. GM Harika Dronavalli, IM Vaishali Rameshbabu, IM Vantika Agrawal, and WGM Savitha Shri Baskar all won their games in a dominating fashion to beat South Korea 4-0 in the final round to finish with 15 match points. The top-seeded Chinese team won its last round match against the UAE with a 4-0 margin to take the gold with 17/18 match points. The Indian men finished their campaign with a 3.5-0.5 win against the Philippines. Top seeds Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, and Harikrishna Pentala all won their matches against their Filipino counterparts while R Praggnanandhaa drew his game to finish second behind gold winners Iran.

Asian Games 2023: India men, women teams remain in second spot in Chess

Indian men and women's teams put up a strong show, posting convincing wins in the eighth round of the chess team competition at the Asian Games here on Friday. The men outplayed South Korea 3.5-0.5 while the women thrashed Hong Kong 4-0. After eight rounds, both the teams are in second spot with a round to play. In the India-South Korea match, D Gukesh went past Junhyeok Lee on the top board, while Praggnanandhaa got the better of Se Hyun Kwan. Arjun Erigaisi's win over In-Jung Gu came after a stiff fight with the Korean having gained an advantage before slipping up. The experienced P Harikrishna salvaged a draw against Ahn Hongjin on the fourth board from what seemed a lost position. The top-seeded men's team meets the Philippines on Saturday in the final round while Iran comes up against South Korea. In the women's match, India did not have any trouble with the quartet of D Harika, R Vaishali, Vantika Agarwal and B Savitha Shri winning easily. With none of the Hong Kong playe

Anurag Thakur felicitates FIDE World Cup runner-up Praggnanandhaa

During the felicitation, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur congratulated Praggnanandhaa for making India proud

PM Modi meets chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa who won silver at FIDE World Cup

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday met chess prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, who recently made history by clinching the silver medal in the FIDE World Cup. "Had very special visitors at 7, LKM today. Delighted to meet you, @rpragchess along with your family. You personify passion and perseverance. Your example shows how India's youth can conquer any domain. Proud of you," Modi said on X after meeting him and his parents. Praggnanandhaa earlier said, "It was a great honour to meet Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi at his residence! Thank you sir for all the words of encouragement to me and my parents.

Praggnanandhaa meets Tamin Nadu CM MK Stalin, Sports Minister Udhayanidhi

Praggnanandhaa returned to India today after enjoying a successful campaign in the FIDE World Cup 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he went toe to toe with the Top 3 chess players in the world

Chess prodigya Praggnanandhaa arrives home after winning silver in FIDE WC

Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa, who made history by clinching the silver medal in the 2023 FIDE World Cup, and entered the FIDE Candidates tournament, was accorded a rousing reception upon his arrival at the airport here on Wednesday. The officials from the state sports department received him at the airport. His fans eagerly waited at the exit gate and presented him a crown of flowers, a shawl and bouquets. Flowers were strewn on his path as he stepped out and artists performed Karagattam and Oyilattam, folk dances of Tamil Nadu, on the occasion. The teenager took his time watching the media persons swarm on either side of the vehicle into which he got into, and reacted I am very happy over the reception. He accepted the national tricolour offered to him and waved it. His mother Nagalakshmi too expressed glee over the grand reception accorded to her 18-year-old son. Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa's dream run in the FIDE World Cup ended at the hands of Norwegian Magnus Carlse

Minimum investment, deep dedication: Chess now offers workable career path

The stunning progress of teen prodigies R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh in international chess has encouraged several parents to consider the sport as a serious 'career option' for their children. Praggnanandhaa caught the imagination of the country when he reached the final of the FIDE World Cup after a sterling run through the tournament. So, what does it takes to be a wizard on the board, and turn it into a viable career? Experts have their say. Chess, in fact, is one of the least expensive sports to begin with, even with an initial investment as low as Rs 50. But the journey forward to chess mastery is not that simple, though. It requires endless hours of practice, and years of dedication. Pravin Thipsay, the first Indian to get a GM norm and currently the chairman of Indian trainers' commission, explained the path. "I had about zero investment. We learned the game ourselves by studying and discussing the moves and it took me about 600 matches to get to 2450-plus, (ELO) points,

Asian Games: Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh to join Indian chess men's team camp

The Asian Games-bound Indian men's chess team, which includes World Cup silver medallist GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa along with three other quarter-finalists, will undergo a four-day tactical camp here from August 30. Grandmsters Vidit Gujarathi, Arjun Erigaisi and R Gukesh, along with veteran Pentala Harikrishna as the other member are part of the Hangzhou-bound men's squad. The team is led by head coach legendary GM Boris Gelfand and includes coach Srinath Narayanan, assistant coaches Vaibhav Suri and Arjun Kalyan. The women's coaching camp is currently underway till Tuesday and has Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Vantika Agrawal and Savitha Shri B as the participants. "AICF's commitment is etched in unwavering support and cutting-edge facilities for our players," AICF president Sanjay Kapoor stated in a release. "This coaching camp stands as a testament to that commitment, providing an immersive experience that delves deep into strategy and finesse, enric