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Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Pratitee keen to make a mark
Bengaluru: India has witnessed a significant rise in chess over the past few years. D. Gukesh and R. Praggnanandhaa have emerged as the top representatives of this trend, and the performance across various age categories is promising. Among those making their mark is Bengaluru's Pratitee Bordoloi, who is eager to follow in their footsteps. The 12-year-old recently won a gold medal in the U-12 category at the FIDE World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. She has an impressive collection of medals, including two international titles from last year, along with silver medals in her budding career. It's quite an achievement for someone who took up the sport four years ago. Interestingly, her mother, Pranti Dutta Bordoloi, introduced her to chess, believing that Pratitee's strong mathematical skills could translate well into the game. "My mother noticed that I was good at math calculations. That's when she suggested I try chess, since it also involves a lot of calculation. I'm glad that I did," said Pratitee, who returned to the city late Friday after her victory in Georgia. Currently coached by GM Pravin Thipsay, Pratitee started participating in state competitions in the U-9 category, where she found success. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru Her accomplishments at the national level helped her family realise her potential. However, balancing chess and academics has not been easy for her. As fan of Magnus Carlsen, she often misses classes while traveling for competitions, but she makes sure to get class notes from her friends. While the seventh-grade student at Shishya BEML Public School is focused on her upcoming term examinations, which begin on July 18, her next major competition will be the World Cadet Championship in Kazakhstan this September. Pratitee trains for an average of four hours a day, increasing to eight hours as competitions approach. "After my exams, I will be able to concentrate on my training," said Pratitee, revealing her aspirations. "I would love to win the Women's World Championship in the future."
Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
FIDE World Cup 2025 could be moved from New Delhi to Goa
The highly anticipated 2025 FIDE World Cup, originally scheduled to be held in New Delhi, may be relocated from the national capital to Goa, The Indian Express has learned. 'The talks are ongoing. While I can't confirm anything at the moment, yes, Goa is the frontrunner to host the World Cup,' Mahesh Candolkar, president of the Goa Chess Association, told this newspaper. The Delhi Chess Association, however, claims to have no information about this change. 'Normally, the All India Chess Federation (AICF) doesn't organise events directly but through state associations. The Delhi Chess Association hasn't been informed about any such development (relocation of the tournament),' said Bharat Singh Chauhan, former AICF secretary and current Delhi Chess Association president. When asked about standard notification timelines regarding the potential relocation of the event, Chauhan added: 'For an international event of this scale, state associations are typically informed six to seven months in advance (if it is to be relocated). We haven't received any communication.' The AICF did not respond to queries regarding the potential change of venue. An email accessed by The Indian Express reveals that the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has also sanctioned Rs. 2.5 Crore to AICF on May 8th 2025, for the purpose of 'hosting of FIDE World Cup to be held in Delhi from 30th Oct to 27th November 2025'. While the exact reasons for the venue change remain unclear, sources close to the chess governing body suggest internal conflicts may be responsible, with potential government intervention to dissolve the current administration and call for fresh elections. Earlier, the AICF General Body, following the National Sports Code, unanimously elected the new set of office bearers for the 2024-27 term in New Delhi in March 2024. New Delhi was initially set to host India's first major international chess tournament since the 2022 Chennai Olympiad, with two AICF officials confirming in March that the biennial tournament, one of the flagship events in global chess, would likely be held at either Bharat Mandapam or Yashobhoomi. If the national capital loses the World Cup, it would be the second potential relocation for a major chess event in India. The Indian Express recently reported that the fourth leg of the 2025 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam tour, also scheduled to be held in New Delhi from September 17 to 24, could be moved to another venue outside India because of a lack of interest from local sponsors. A prestigious biennial knockout tournament, the FIDE World Cup features over 200 players and is one of the most important events for the World Championship cycle, with three out of the eight spots for the Candidates' tournament at stake. The winner of the marquee Candidates tournament will get to challenge the current World Champion, India's D. Gukesh, in 2026.
New Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Inside the chess world's race to ace the Indian market
STAVANGER: The FIDE World Cup is scheduled to be held in India later this year. The third season of the Global Chess League (GCL), owned and conducted by an Indian company, may be held in Chennai in December. Another edition of the Chennai Grandmasters, India's only super tournament, is scheduled to be held in August. It may be bigger and better than the first two. Viswanathan Anand, a former five-time world champion, is one of FIDE's top officials. D Gukesh is the reigning world champion. Arjun Erigaisi, now in the top five, had to play and win a lot of open tournaments. These days, Erigaisi gets invited to a lot of top-tier events; an indication of his standing. Likewise with Aravindh Chithambaram, R Praggnanandhaa and so on. In short, if you are an Indian — or an Indian entity — involved in chess, this is boom time. Everybody wants in on the gravy train or the 'Indian market'. It, of course, wasn't like this before. "The pandemic changed it from an Indian (chess) perspective," says Srinath Narayanan, a GM who has organised several events over the last few years. "Indian players were getting invites to the big events but not at the level we are seeing now. But you can also understand why they are getting invites to the super tournaments now, there are two of them in the top five." The 'two of them' Narayanan refers to are featuring at Norway Chess —Gukesh and Erigaisi. Here's Kjell Madland, the tournament's founder and tournament director. "India is so important," Madland says. "It's a very big country and it's growing... the economy, technology and also they have so many young players. It's very important to have connections with Indian players and the market in India." Madland and his team at Stavanger, the annual destination for Norway Chess, have already held exploratory talks with stakeholders in India apropos holding events in India under their umbrella. It's not hard to imagine why they would want to do so. It could be a case of future-proofing the brand in a post Magnus Carlsen world (the World No. 1 could well stop playing Classical chess from next year). "In the first year (2013), Vishy (Viswanathan) Anand played and he was the world champion. Even from the beginning, we knew India was important." That kind of sentiment is reflected in the number of Indians in the draw this year. There are four (two each in the Open and women's), a record for Indian players at the tournament in its 13-year history. Narayanan has a theory as to why that may be the case across invitational closed competitions. "There are a fair few players in the top-10 and top-20 so they have got there with the way they have performed. Take both Erigaisi and Gukesh, for example. They have won a lot of open tournaments and now are getting invited to super events fairly regularly." It's not just the Indian players who have been front and centre. In 2024, the Tamil Nadu government as well as the All India Chess Federation (AICF) submitted two separate bids to host the World Championship. A year earlier, the TN government organised a super tournament to help one of Gukesh or Erigaisi to qualify for the Candidates via the circuit (the former capitalised). Narayanan, tasked with the role of bringing that competition to life, explains. "Chess is a difficult event to get sponsors on but I would say it has been better to get sponsors on board in 2024 and now. Because, in 2023, it existed only as a concept." Young Indian GMs, including the likes of Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh, are at the top of the wish-list because of their social media followings. While appearance fees aren't big in chess, organisers of the big events, especially in 2025, may prefer to get on board a player who has a bigger social media footprint. "If you are looking at two similarly rated players but have only a slot, their social media accounts can play a role," Narayanan says. It's like this because there is the added element of the tournament receiving potentially more eyeballs on social media. Wednesday's pairings: Open: Magnus Carlsen vs Wei Yi, Fabiano Caruana vs Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh vs Hikaru Nakamura. Women: Koneru Humpy vs Sara Khadem, Ju Wenjun vs R Vaishali, Lei Tingjie vs Anna Muzychuk.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Gukesh Dommaraju vs Magnus Carlsen: World champ takes on world no.1 in Norway Chess opener
It's the game everyone has been waiting for. On Monday, newly crowned world champion D Gukesh will finally face Magnus Carlsen in classical chess for the first time since becoming the youngest champion in history. The match will take place in the opening round of the 2025 Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger, where Carlsen will play with the white pieces. The hype around this clash isn't new. Ever since Gukesh beat Ding Liren to win the world title in December, fans have wondered how he would fare against Carlsen — the man many still see as the best player on the planet. They last met in a classical game at the 2023 FIDE World Cup, where Carlsen won. Since then, Carlsen has mostly stayed away from classical chess, making only a few exceptions, with Norway Chess being one of them. Spotlight on the biggest showdown in Stavanger The match carries an extra spark. Gukesh, just 18, is aiming to shake off a tough run of form after his world title win. He came close to winning the Tata Steel tournament in January but has since struggled, especially in freestyle and classical events. Still, he remains calm. 'It's not about proving anymore,' he said. 'Now, it's about improving.' 🔥 Round 1 Showdown: Carlsen vs Gukesh 🔥Norway Chess 2025 kicks off with a blockbuster clash as World No.1 Magnus Carlsen faces reigning World Champion Gukesh D in their first classical encounter since Gukesh brought the title back to in 2023, Gukesh marked his… Carlsen, meanwhile, admitted he doesn't know what to expect from himself either. 'It might take me a couple of games to find my rhythm,' he said. But he knows the buzz around this game is real. 'There's a little bit more in there for everybody.' With Carlsen, Gukesh, Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, Fabiano Caruana, and Wei Yi in the field, Norway Chess feels like a mini world championship. In the women's section, reigning champ Ju Wenjun headlines a strong line-up, including Koneru Humpy and Vaishali Rameshbabu. But for now, all eyes are on Gukesh vs Carlsen. And Stavanger is ready.
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Norway Chess Tournament: D Gukesh set to challenge Magnus Carlsen on his home turf
Ever since Gukesh Dommaraju defeated Ding Liren to become the youngest world champion in chess history, the world has been obsessed with what-ifs. What if Magnus Carlsen had not abdicated the throne? What if it has been Carlsen playing against Gukesh instead of Ding? Carlsen's disinterest in playing classical tournaments has meant that the world no.1 and the world champion have not come face to face in the longest format of the sport since Gukesh's coronation in December. The last time they duelled in a classical chess game was the 2023 FIDE World Cup when Carlsen defeated the teenager from Chennai in the two-game quarter-finals. But on Monday, the chess world will get the clash it has wanted for a while as Gukesh plays with black pieces against Carlsen at the Norway Chess tournament, one of the rare events for which Carlsen makes an exception to his self-imposed classical chess exile. The date for the second clash — where Gukesh plays with white pieces — will be made public soon. This year's Norway Chess has one of the strongest fields in recent history with the world's top 5 ranked players — Carlsen, No.2 Hikaru Nakamura, No.3 Gukesh, No.4 Arjun Erigiaisi and No.5 Fabiano Caruana — being joined by China's World No.8 Wei Yi. It's almost a mini-Candidates tournament where two flag-bearers of the current Indian golden generation – Gukesh and Arjun – take on the troika of grizzled veterans – Carlsen, Caruana and Nakamura. The women's event will have reigning world champion Ju Wenjun being joined by a stacked field that includes India's Koneru Humpy, Vaishali Rameshbabu besides players like Sara Khadem, Lei Tingjie and Anna Muzychuk. Carlsen admitted that he had no idea what to expect from himself. 'Whether it's against Gukesh or somebody else here, I'm not really quite sure what to expect from those games in particular,' Carlsen said at the press conference on Sunday. 'I certainly want to do well in those games and he (Gukesh) does as well.' In the past, Carlsen has spoken a lot about the 18-year-old Indian. He was particularly scathing in his comments about at times during the world championship. 'If people think I was criticising Gukesh too much (during the world championship), it's because I expect so much from him in classical chess' Carlsen said in a recent interview with Take Take Take. 'It will be a very interesting game and a fun challenge,' Gukesh said about the clash. 'I hope it will be a treat.' Carlsen said that since he does play a lot of other formats of chess like freestyle and online, he is unlikely to be rusty. But he does expect a slow start at the tournament. 'It's going to take a little time for me to get into the speed of the game. I don't expect necessarily to be at my sharpest in the first couple of games. I feel like I'm never that unless I've had very recent playing experience. I hope in a week from now, I'll be in great shape,' he said. Gukesh, on the other hand, has spent the past five months since becoming world champion under intense scrutiny for his form. He almost won the Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee, before being thwarted by Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa. Since then, Gukesh has experienced an uncharacteristic slump: he went through the Weissenhaus leg of the Freestyle Chess tournament without a win, before experiencing more woe in the Paris leg of the Freestyle event. And then, his results in freestyle started to poison his form in classical chess as well: at the recent Superbet Classic Romania event, Gukesh won just a single game out of nine. But Gukesh said he was not too perturbed by the scrutiny or his run of results. He said he was unable to train with full gusto in the first couple of weeks after becoming world champion. But in recent months, he's back to the grind. 'Last year (2024) in classical chess, I played tournaments where I kind of proved whatever needed to be proved. And right now, the focus is not about proving it,' Gukesh told Norway Chess in an interview on Saturday. 'The world championship is not where I want to stop. I want to go beyond that. So it's not about proving, but improving myself and going beyond where I am.' (The writer is in Stavanger at the invitation of Norway Chess) Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
