Latest news with #EarlyTitledTuesday
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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
D Gukesh makes rare Titled Tuesday Blitz appearance with an eye on future; leaves Hikaru Nakamura shocked
It wasn't the most memorable outing for world champion D Gukesh, who made a rare appearance in the Titled Tuesday Blitz, leaving Hikaru Nakamura shocked. But Gukesh's latest move was well calculated, as the Indian Grandmaster has his eyes firmly set on the future. read more Chess world champion D Gukesh looks determined to improve his Blitz game as he made a rare appearance in the Early Titled Tuesday online competition on 22 July, finishing 18th in the competition, which was won by world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura. While Nakamura won the contest with a score of 9.5, Gukesh finished with eight points after three defeats. The 19-year-old Gukesh's three losses came against eventual winner Nakamura, International Master LR Srihari and Grandmaster Parham Maghsoodloo. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Determined Gukesh looks to improve Blitz game The Early Titled Tuesday Blitz is played in the Swiss system, where players have three minutes to finish the game and get an increment of one second for each move. This is very different compared to the Classical format, in which Gukesh won the World Chess Championship. During the Championship, Gukesh had 90 minutes for the first 40 moves. Thus, the Blitz format has still not been one of the strengths of the youngest world champion of all time. Gukesh has earned a reputation for being a player who is less about instinct and more about calculation. The lack of time in faster time control games doesn't often allow Gukesh the luxury to calculate moves at his own pace, leading to unintended mistakes. The Chennai star recently showcased some improvement in the faster format as he won five consecutive Rapid games earlier this month at the SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament, including winning a match against world No.1 Magnus Carlsen. But he also suffered five consecutive defeats in the Rapid round of the tournament and finished third in the overall standings. The rare participation in the Early Titled Tuesday indicates that Gukesh is determined to improve his game in the faster formats. 'Rather shockingly, one of the rare occurrences is seeing current world chess champion Gukesh actually playing in a Titled Tuesday event,' Nakamura said on his YouTube channel after winning the Early Titled Tuesday title. 'He has played this event before, but it's very rare to see him play.' While Gukesh rarely plays online Blitz games, Carlsen, Nakamura, and India's Arjun Erigaisi are often seen competing in Titled Tuesday and Freestyle Friday online tournaments. These tournaments are hosted by with the winner taking home a prize of $1,000.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
World champion Gukesh D finishes 18th in rare Titled Tuesday appearance event after losing 3 games out of 11
Gukesh D, the youngest world champion in the history of the sport, made a rare appearance in the Titled Tuesday online event and ended in 18th position with a score of eight wins from 11 games. The event was won by Hikaru Nakamura, who has now won 105 Titled Tuesday online events. The Titled Tuesday is an online blitz chess tournament. It must be noted that Gukesh rarely plays in online tournaments and blitz, one of the fastest formats in the sport, is not his forte as evidenced at the recent SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament. Gukesh was playing in the Early Titled Tuesday tournament (there is a Late Titled Tuesday event also later in the day), where his three losses came against International Master LR Srihari, Nakamura and Parham Maghsoodloo. He beat a couple of strong players like Alexey Sarana and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (who helped him become world champion as a second). 'Rather shockingly, one of the rare occurrences is seeing current world chess champion Gukesh actually playing in a Titled Tuesday event,' Nakamura said on his video recap for his YouTube channel after winning the title. 'He has played this event before, but it's very rare to see him play.' The online Titled Tuesday tournament — which is organised by twice on Tuesday each week — sees a prize fund of $1,000 for the winner. Players like Magnus Carlsen and Nakamura are regulars at the events, usually also opting to play the event when they're in the middle of over-the-board chess tournaments as long as the tournament timings don't clash. The Titled Tuesday tournament is played in the Swiss format, where each player gets three minutes on the clock for a game with a one second increment added to their clock for each move. Gukesh had previously played in the event a few months ago, where he had almost won the event with a score of 9.5 out of 11. He ended only behind eventual winner Javokhir Sindarov on tiebreak regulations. Gukesh is not a regular in online tournaments, preferring to prioritise playing in over-the-board classical events, a strategy that has gone well with his style and propelled him to the world chess championship throne at the age of 18 last year. Blitz is not one of the formats he excels in, as became apparent at the recently-concluded SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia tournament where Gukesh was leading the tournament after nine rounds of rapid, but fell to third after 18 rounds of blitz after just four wins and three days. Gukesh's calculation-based style of play is not conducive to a fast time control like blitz. As Nakamura pointed out on his YouTube handle while analysing his game against Gukesh: 'When I played bishop to f8 (18…Bf8), I was basically asking Gukesh what he was going to do? Here Gukesh spends almost one minute (in a three-minute game) before playing bishop to b4 (19.b4). This really highlights the differences between players like Gukesh, who are more about pure calculation, as compared to more intuitive platters like myself or Praggnanandhaa or Hans Niemann. There was nothing wrong with the move but specifically because he spends one minute on the clock, he's now on the backfoot, he's down by 30 seconds.'
NDTV
11-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
A Generation Mentored By Vishy Anand
Garry Kasparov's "Vishy's children are on the loose" statement is most talked about in the Chess world. India has given the world the youngest chess world champion in Gukesh, a three-year-old old is now in FIDE rankings, and a 9-year-old is drawing massive praise for holding the 5-time chess world champion to a draw in blitz format. Here is how Vishy's children are dominating world chess. Magnus Carlsen does not like to draw, let alone lose. But of late, he has had tough luck against the Indians. Delhi's 9-year-old Chess prodigy Aarit Kapil stunned the 5-time world champion a few weeks ago After Carlsen called Gukesh a weaker player, the world champion has been on a Carlsen-beating spree. To humiliate the 5 time world champ further, Gukesh's compatriot Aarit Kapil held the Norwegian to a draw in an online tournament called Early Titled Tuesday When Aarit sat down for the Tea Toast and Sports Podcast with NDTV, we asked about the moment when he realised that he had drawn against the Norwegian. He said, "I was very happy and I couldn't believe that I had drained Magnus. I was very surprised. At the start, I was thinking I would lose the match, but then he gifted me some hope. He blundered on the queen at seven." Aarit was playing this event from his hotel in Georgia, where he was battling for a podium finish in the under-10 World Championship. His coach and International Master, Vishal Sareen, is of the opinion: "This could be a defining moment for him." Tania Sachdev, the chess ace, & Woman Grand Master, says, "Magnus Carlsen hates losing the most among chess players." With 85 Grand Masters, India is 5th in the world, and the growth of the ecosystem is credited to one man, the OG of Indian chess, Viswanathan Anand. Tania chimes in, "This Golden generation was such a big part of his vision. He paved that path himself. We have the youngest world champion from India. I think Gary Kasparov summed it up the best when he said that Vishy's children are on the loose." So will an Indian challenge Gukesh in the next world championship? "I will not be surprised. Prabh looks like he's all set to make it to the candidates already." For now, Vishy's children for now are enjoying the tag of giant killers.
Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Magnus Carlsen ko draw kar diya!': Meet the 9-year-old chess prodigy from Delhi who held his own against a Grandmaster
On the morning of June 24, sitting in a hotel room in Batumi, Georgia, Aarit Kapil made a decision that would have people talking for weeks to come. The nine-year-old was in the country to compete in the prestigious FIDE World Cadets Cup, battling it out in the under-10 category. At 8 am that day, on a whim, he decided to log into and play their well-known Titled Tuesday online blitz event. Organised twice every Tuesday, this tournament is only open to players with FIDE titles (like Grandmaster (GM), International Master, Candidate Master, etc.) This particular Early Titled Tuesday had elite GMs like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, former world champion Vladimir Kramnik — and Magnus Carlsen — competing in it. Aarit's parents were on a phone call when he rushed out shouting, 'Draw kar diya, Magnus ko draw kar diya! (I got Magnus to draw)'. It took his parents a few seconds to process his words before they erupted in celebration. For them, Aarit's near success against the formidable chess grandmaster was almost natural. In December last year, Aarit defeated Grandmaster Raset Ziatdinov. In February this year, he had gathered enough points to become a Candidate Master. 'He doesn't get nervous when facing big players. He gets really excited,' said Nisha Kapil, his mother, who often accompanies him to his tournaments. Aarit, with his round Harry Potter-like glasses, smiled shyly beside her. 'All I think about is that I need to beat them… I always keep looking out for mistakes they can make,' he said softly, almost under his breath. It was four years ago that Aarit's parents noticed his prodigious talent for the game. 'I'm a casual player and used to often play online,' said Vijay Kapil, the boy's father. 'He had come to me and asked what I was doing, and I taught him. Within a week, he was beating me at the game,' he said. At first, his parents believed it to be a fluke and tried testing his abilities. 'We would feel bad that he's beaten us,' laughed Nisha, adding, 'So we'd make the game tougher for him. We'd take away a few pieces, randomly reduce his points… and he still kept beating us at it. I think that's when we realised that he has a true talent for the game.' Aarit was put into coaching with International Master (IM) Vishal Sareen. Within a week, his father said, Aarit had won an international tournament with a Rs 15,000 cash prize. 'I was shocked. I mean, he was only five years old,' Vijay said, laughing as if he still couldn't believe it. Over the years, Aarit's rise has been meteoric. His coaches, too, believe that the young boy prodigy has the makings of a future Grandmaster. Yet, Aarit has suffered his fair share of losses, too. In the 37th National Under-9 Open in 2024, Aarit went up against Nidhish Shyamal — a boy who had, similar to Aarit, started playing chess at the age of five and was a formidable opponent by the time he was nine years old. In the final, Shyamal was trailing Aarit by half a point. Aarit, confident of pocketing the match, decided to play fast and loose with his moves. 'I had defeated Nidhish in the rounds before, so I thought it would be an easy match. But I didn't know that he had a walkover in one of the previous rounds and had a better tie-break score than me,' said Aarit. In his self-confessed hubris, Aarit stretched the match longer, perhaps relishing his opponent's squirming. Yet at the worst possible moment, towards the end, Aarit made a mistake and Nidhish lunged at the opportunity. While both scored a 9.5 out of 11, Nidhish's better tie-break score pushed him over the victory line. 'I was angry with myself,' confessed Aarit. Yet, he didn't let himself wallow in his defeat. 'I came back and kept practicing,' he said quietly. His parents, too, are careful not to let him feel too much of the pressure. 'Half the battle is won when he is confident,' said Nisha. 'We are optimistic that if he doesn't get the gold in one tournament, he'll win a bigger one next time. Besides, it's like mutual funds. If you want to create wealth, you must see volatility. Jo game mein tika rehta hai, wo hi aage badhta hai (Those who stick with the game are the ones who move forward),' said Vijay. However, Aarit's flourishing career has taken a financial toll on the family. The husband and wife duo runs a mutual fund-distributing business. They rent a modest two-bedroom apartment in Mayur Vihar and have little to no sponsors funding their child's dreams. Except for a Rs 25,000 grant each month from the All India Chess Federation for the last three months, the family has little help to fund Aarit's tournaments abroad. 'It's easier to get sponsors in the Southern states or Maharashtra, but there is no culture around chess in the North. It's been difficult to single-handedly fund my son's dreams,' said Vijay. But the father is determined to help Aarit realise his dreams, no matter what. 'When I was young, my father didn't have a lot of money to fund his children's extra-curricular activities. It made me decide then that when I grow up, my children will want for nothing,' he said.
United News of India
05-07-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
I was in a strong position, but ran out of time: Nine-yr-old Aarit who held Carlsen to a draw
New Delhi, July 5 (UNI) Nine-year-old Aarit Kapil who recently held legendary Magnus Carlsen to a draw says that he was in a strong position in the match but ran out of time, hence it ended in a draw. Aarit held Carlsen to a draw in an online blitz game at the 'Early Titled Tuesday' chess tournament on June 24. Speaking to UNI in an exclusive interview today, after his return from Georgia yesterday, Aarit said that he was thrilled to play against the Norwegian whom he considers his idol. 'His level was very obviously higher than any opponent that I have faced till date. It was without any doubt the toughest match I have ever played. As the match progressed during the mid-game his position weakened. I got into a strong position, but as there was time pressure it ended in a draw,' said Aarit. The Class 5 student however said that he felt no pressure in facing the reigning World number 1 in the Rapid and Blitz formats. Aarit, who is also the youngest Indian and third youngest in the world to have defeated a Grand Master, said that Blitz is his favourite format. He also expressed his desire to play D Gukesh, the current World Number 1, in the Classical format. 'I want to play against Gukesh. I like his style,' he said. Aarit said that he wishes to improve his middle and end game. "I can improve in the middle and end game. My coach Vishal sir (International Master Vishal Sareen) advises me to pay most attention to the middle and end game. There are a lot of openings that the opponent can deploy, but if one's middle game is strong he can recover. If the middle game is strong then you can tackle any opening.' Apart from Magnus, Aarit admires late Soviet great Mikhail Tal. 'I like him (Tal) a lot, I study him in depth. I like the way he made sacrifices in a strategic manner, 'the 'magician'. His game was so exciting and intriguing.' His mother Nisha explained about Aarit's initiation into Chess. 'When he was five, he saw his father play on the laptop and got interested. I gifted him a Chess board, and his sister Aarna taught him to play. Soon he started playing online Blitz tournaments and winning them easily. So we started his coaching. And he has excelled,' she added. Aarit's father Vijay hopes that Aarit gets a sponsor soon as Chess is an expensive sport. 'Going abroad for tournaments needs a lot of money, yet those tournaments are important in terms of his learning and world ranking. So I am looking for a sponsor for him right now," Vijay added. His mother Nisha says that Chess has become an obsession with Aarit. "We try to get him involved in outdoor sports. But he is always thinking about chess. It is an obsession with him." Aarit studies in Somerville School, Vasundhara Enclave, Delhi. Social sciences and Mathematics are his favourite subjects. UNI RKM RN
